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Year: 2012

Albums of the year: Top 10

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Music.

10) The Gaslight Anthem – Handwritten

The Gaslight Anthem’s fourth full length album Handwritten, sees the bands harp back to a more familiar punk vibe, reminiscent of the acclaimed ’59 sound, but with an extra shot of Springsteen for good measure. The album is a letter to the listener, dealing with love, loss and general teenage angst that affects us all. However, its Brian Fallon’s honesty and sincerity that turns a somewhat clichéd story into a compelling one. The Gaslight Anthem are yet to really make it on the big stage, but it can only be a matter of time before everyone realises that these guys should be headlining festivals all over the world! Tom Ingham

9) Flying Lotus – Until the Quiet Comes

Stephen Ellison, aka Fly Lo, is a beat-maker whose adventurous productions definitely veer off the beaten track. Following on from 2010’s Cosmogramma, his penchant for extravagantly textured soundscapes has not lessened in the slightest.  Vocal help is on hand from the likes of Thom Yorke, Erykah Badu and Niki Randa, whose excessively delayed voices add to the ethereal feel that exists throughout Until the Quiet Comes.  He somehow manages to meld together flecks of jazz, hip hop, glitch, and dance music in order to craft a record that now sits at the very forefront of nightmarish downtempo music. Dan Jones

8) The Shins – Port of Morrow

You might have been forgiven for thinking this record wouldn’t come to pass, but the end result of James Mercer’s extensive five-year reconstruction of The Shins provides compelling evidence that his hiring-and-firing was justified. The signature Mercer marriage of irresistible melodies and achingly gorgeous lyricism appears as strong as ever. ‘The Rifle’s Spiral’ and ‘Simple Song’ are marvellously crafted pop stompers, with the funk jam that is ‘No Way Down’ providing a welcome change of pace. ‘September’ and ‘For a Fool’, both beautifully wistful, vie for the title of this record’s ‘New Slang’. If abrupt lineup changes and broad collaboration are what Mercer feels he needs to flourish, then so be it; Port of Morrow is another masterwork from one of the great modern American songwriters. Joe Goggins

7) Frank Ocean – Channel Orange

Mere weeks prior to the release of Channel Orange Frank Ocean openly revealed his bisexuality, an exceptionally brave act even in 2012 within the masculine genre. Cynics condemned this as a publicity stunt, but Channel Orangedemonstrates Ocean’s music is all he needs for recognition. The range displayed on the album is stunning. ‘Thinkin Bout You’ is a beautiful, soulful expression of unrequited love, whilst ‘Super Rich Kids’ satirises the shallowness of LA’s young elite. ‘Pyramids’ alone is a 9 minute genre-skipping, subject-jumping epic in which Ocean seamlessly flows between tales of Egyptian princesses and Vegas strippers. Channel Orange is a pioneering, potentially seminal work of art. Patrick Hinton

6) Actress – R.I.P. 

Never one to stand still, the third album from Darren Cunningham – better known as Actress – is comfortably his most daring and compelling yet. The follow-up to 2010’s critically acclaimed ‘Splazsh’, ‘R.I.P.’ flawlessly fuses house, IDM and techno to create an album which becomes more rewarding upon each listen. It’s a bold step away from his previous work with traditional 4/4 beats foregone in favour of a more minimalist ambient approach. You may not hear this one much in the clubs but that doesn’t stop it being the best electronic release of the year. Matt Gibney

5) The Cribs – In the Belly of the Brazen Bull

Shorn of former Smiths man Johnny Marr and diverted away from the formulaic avenue he appeared to be steering them into, The Cribs returned to their three-piece, basement roots to produce Brazen Bull, a record as gaudy and delightfully overblown as its title. Like a paean to all their biggest 90s influences, the record combines Pinkerton era-Weezer (‘Come On, Be a No One’, ‘Jaded Youth’) with spiky, Pavement-esque guitars on ‘Pure O’ and the stormy, feedback-drenched ‘Back to the Bolthole’. Its crowning achievement, though, is the four-part rock opera to close – a sharp reminder of the ambition of a band too often written off as just another indie rock outfit. Joe Goggins

4) Lana Del Rey – Born to Die

To say it’s been quite a year for Lana Del Rey would be an understatement. Her debut single ‘Video Games’ rocketed up the charts 12 months ago, and one year on, her debut album Born to Die has done the same – putting her firmly on the map as one of the biggest names in modern day music. Her sudden rise to fame is largely thanks to this very album, with singles such as ‘Born to Die’ and ‘National Anthem’ receiving widespread acclaim, whilst the beautifully written tracks ‘Without You’ and ‘Summertime Sadness’, amongst others, lend some credence to the enormous levels of hype that seem to have surrounded her since day one. Adam Selby

3) First Aid Kit – The Lion’s Roar

There’s something unique about the way that siblings sing together.  It might be that growing up together makes them more sensitive to each other’s voices but family bands like the Staves just seem capable of creating harmonies in a way that others can’t.  Swedish sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg only serve to prove this.  A record that belies their young age, The Lion’s Roar is full of pain, longing and beauty.  From the heartbreaking ‘To A Poet’ to the raucous ‘King of the World’ the record beautifully exhibits their talent and they’ve harnessed that unique family bond to create one of the most stunning records of 2012. Rachel Bolland

2) Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d. city 

Discussions surrounding hip-hop are almost always as compulsively obsessed with judging “where the genre is going” as they are with the quality of work itself. Such commentary can have an alarming self-fulfilling effect and might be seen to have culminated in a branching off into internet gimmicks and drudging anti rap. Not so with good kid, m.A.A.d city. Lamar fuses together the narrative and autobiographical with the figurative, illustrating a life concerned with and by image, fame and family. Lamar’s greatest achievement is honesty, a trait in short supply amongst the posturing that infuses the genre. A must listen album. Jack Armstrong

1) Alt-J – An Awesome Wave

Cambridgeshire-based quartet Alt-J have had far from a quiet year after being swept along by the phenomenal reception of their debut album An Awesome Wave, and now they’ve scooped their biggest prize yet – top spot in The Mancunion’s end-of-year poll.

To try and define the trademarked Alt-J sound would be futile. In fact, it would be trickier to pick out a style of music that doesn’t make an appearance on An Awesome Wave. Trip-hop beats fused with indie-rock idiosyncrasy and heavy synth riffs combined with folk harmonies make it near enough impossible to put Alt-J under a specific umbrella.

In theory, a combination of so many musical atmospheres played all at once should probably produce the aural equivalent of seasickness. However, this is not the case. Sewn together by frontman Joe Newman’s reverb-fuelled lead vocal, each style seamlessly floats into the next to create a sound so refreshing it almost washes over you.

From the soothing acoustic melodies of ‘Matilda’ and ‘Something Good’ or the inconceivably slick sounds featured on ‘Tessellate’ and ‘Fitzpleasure’, there’s almost something there for everybody. Perhaps it was this universally-relatable style that gave An Awesome Wave the edge over competitors to be take the prestigious 2012 British Barclaycard Mercury Prize, following in the footsteps of previous winners The XX, Arctic Monkeys and Primal Scream, perhaps not. In any case, the innovation displayed in An Awesome Wave gives us a lot to be excited about in 2013. Joe Doherty

What does fashion mean to you?

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

“I have no desires, save the desire to express myself in defiance of all the world’s muteness.” – Vladimir Nobakov

“Fashion means diversity, variety and creativity.” – Nuala

“People spending too much money for a name that doesn’t exactly mean quality.” – Stefan

“Fashion in England? To me that means wearing way weird clothes and not washing your hair but twice a week.” – Katy

“Fashion is an expression of oneself, a way to signify who you are, where you come from and what you believe in.” –  Matthew
“Have you seen me? Not a lot…” – Mike
“It is a way of communicating who you are and if you are having a bad day, it can help turn things around.” – Dana
“It gives you confidence to approach everyday challenges” – Zara
“It means that I can convey a different look every single day. It is never boring and it is something everyone has to partake in, whether they like it or not.” – Jake
“It means people respect me because I look good.” – Candice
“Fashion is a pretentious fallacy that I don’t care about, I’d rather wear comfortable clothes than those that would impress other people.” – Joshua
“Fashion is feeling good about yourself, taking inspiration from places and people and putting them together to make something that is your own, something that you are proud of and enjoyed creating.” – Emma
“Fashion is to impress the boys.” – Wanda
“Fashion is a snapshot of what you like or how you feel at a particular time, because of its ever-changing state and the way in which we choose certain looks over others.” – Emma
“Fashion to me means feeling good and wearing clothes I love, having fun with how I dress and not taking it all too seriously.” – Chessie
“Well, if i really dont like what I’m wearing then I’m not having a good day. Fashion can determine my mood.” – Romana

Come On, Vogue!

Written by Aimee Grant Cumberbatch on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

David Bowie to the Glamrock movement, new wave to the New Romantics, Jimi Hendrix to the hippies, ‘60s rhythm and blues to the mods, 1950s rock and roll to their scruffier counterpart the rockers, and lately that uber-alternative indie band to the greasy-haired hipster kid. Whatever the decade, whatever the trend, fashion and music have strolled through the centuries hand in hand. However, in our modern image-obsessed society the appearance of our musical icons has assumed even greater importance.

Fashion is an intrinsic part of a musician’s identity; it informs our understanding of their sound, their ethos and even their potential for success. It’s not that music and fashion icons haven’t always been interchangeable, take Grace Jones, David Bowie and Madonna for just a few examples, however these days many artists’ sartorial efforts far eclipse their musical ones (I’m looking at you, Lady Gaga and you, Lana Del Rey). In fact in our auto-tuned version of reality, a sufficiently wacky wardrobe can mean a fast-track to success. Lana Del Rey, having only released two studio albums, has already been the face of a H&M collection, graced the cover of Vogue and attained the fashion equivalent of the holy grail: having a Mulberry handbag named after her. An accolade previously only afforded to everyone’s favourite fashion twiglet Alexa Chung, and Agyness Dean (of peroxide mop fame).

With the slow death of the purchase of physical music, and the rise of illegal downloads, musicians must turn to other means of money-making, means which are increasingly interwoven with fashion. Take touring for example, an incredibly important way for musicians to to gain revenue, however in order to tour one must have fans desirous of live performance and in order to have fans desirous of live performance, one must either be ‘good’ live or have other means of putting on a memorable show. A musician’s stage outfit is an essential part of the performance: Florence Welch (featured image) adhered to Bestival 2012’s wildlife theme by headlining the main stage looking like a cross between a pre-Raphaelite Poison Ivy and a wood nymph, in a flowing green gown and an ivy headdress. Her appearance was almost as memorable as Florence + The Machine’s performance. Katy Perry is renowned for her exuberant costumes and Rihanna more for what she isn’t wearing on stage.

Another, more directly sartorial and increasingly popular, way for a musician to rake in the big ones or even just to expand their empire, is the clothing line. All manner of musicians have them, Jay-Z and his line Rocawear, Gwen Stefani and L.A.M.B, unlikely fashion icon Liam Gallagher and his brand Pretty Green, I could go on. Most musician clothing lines know enormous success although often making little or no illusion of involvement on the part of the musician in the design process. Despite knowing that most of our favourite songsters and songstresses have few design credentials to speak of, it seems that musicality (or lack thereof, you again, Lana) makes money and the fashion world has certainly taken note.

Fashion could be called art…

Written by Marie Clare Yates on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

“I make clothes and bags and shoes for people to use, not to put up on a wall and look at.” Marc Jacobs is just one of many designers who claim that Fashion is not art. But why not? If film, music and photography can all be considered art, then why not fashion? Is there really that much of a difference?

Fashion makes you feel something. When you see the most beautiful dress, the layers of fabric, the lustre of colours, you feel something. It evokes an emotion that sometimes cannot be explained. Just like a painting by Picasso or Dali, you can take what you want from the opus, if you think it’s beautiful then it’s beautiful, if it moves you, then it’s moving, if you feel it’s tragic, then it is.

So how wide is the gulf between fashion and art really? Fashion appears in exhibitions all the time and even has its own dedicated museums; such as the The Fashion and Textile Museum in London, The Musée Galliera in Paris and The Museum at The Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. This makes the whole distinction between Fashion and Art even more vague – if fashion is not art then why is it in museums? It’s not unknown for artists and designers to collaborate, take for example Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama who formed a psychedelic collaboration (see featured image) earlier this year and what about Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dali? In 1937 he painted a giant lobster onto one of her dresses and they collaborated on her Skeleton Dress.

Photo: Tea Collection Blog

Karl Lagerfeld and Coco Chanel are two more designers that claim that fashion is not art – they are two separate entities. Fashion has a functional purpose – we need to wear clothes, coats, shoes and hats, they protect us from the environment, clothes are made to be sold; the industry makes a profit. Clothes can be manufactured in bulk and are available to the masses but art is different. Art is more personal. An artist can paint all of his life and not sell anything; only after his death does his work become noticed and priceless. Art lasts forever, whereas fashion changes from season to season.

But, just like paintings, pottery and tapestry, fashion can tell you about the past. What women used to wear, what garments indicated social status and can maybe even tell us about political affairs – just think about what women wore during the war until Dior blessed us with his Corolle Collection. We can look back on previous fashion and reflect, become inspired, it can encourage us to do things.

Yet, is more of a distinction required? Can Haute Couture be described as art and high street just business?  Designers are sometimes directly influenced by art and they can communicate through their garments. There is no answer to this prolonged debate and there probably never will be. But just as Karl Lagerfeld once said: “Art is art. Fashion is fashion. However, Andy Warhol proved that they can exist together.”

The image of perfection?

Written by Emma Richards on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

What is the obsession with size zero and the apparent ‘perfect body’? Of course everyone wants to be perceived in the best light possible, but why does that often have to come at such a price?

It saddens me to think of just how many women fall prey to the harsh, and in the most extreme cases, life-controlling desire to conform to this fake image of perfection. What is it that even makes a skinny model so attractive? Ok, yes she might be walking down a catwalk, seemingly leading a life of moneyed glamour and partying, grabbing the attention of the guys we all dream about, but the reality of the situation is hardly ever as exciting as many choose to believe. In fact, the majority of men would not opt to date a skeleton…where’s the attraction in that?

The relentless criticism that numerous celebrities have found themselves confronted with regarding weight and image is heartbreaking. Curvier figures are more representative of the modern day woman, yet they face continual attacks for having a healthier weight. What’s worse is the fact that even after fabricated stories of weight gain, these iconic figures still stand nowhere near ‘fat’ or at an unhealthy weight whichever way you choose to look at it.

Although there have been many attempts to ban the use of size zero models in the fashion industry, it is still argued by many that their presence on the catwalk, in the magazines and on the billboards is a good incentive for weight control. However, at what point do we lose our sense of reality and enter, either consciously or subconsciously, into the dark and dangerous obsession to be ‘flawless’? How can the real woman feel beautiful while comparing herself to heavily airbrushed, and therefore ultimately false, representations of ‘beauty’?

picture: frockwriter.com

Surely someone is at their most attractive when healthy, strong and in possession of enough self-confidence to be themselves. There are plenty of ‘plus-size’ models out there, who enjoy just as much success as size zero models, with the likes of Robyn Lawley featured on the cover of Vogue. Furthermore these figures are much healthier, and quite frankly stunning, icons to highlight as role models in an age of eating disorders.

So, in the words of Marilyn Monroe, herself a ‘curvy’ icon: “To all the girls that think you’re fat because you’re not a size zero: you’re the beautiful one, it’s society who’s ugly.”

Avant-Garde Style Profile: André Leon Talley

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

The term ‘Avant-garde’ typically refers to works of art that are innovative, experimental and willing to push the boundaries. But in a society like ours, where fashion plays a prominent role in our daily lives, the term is embodied fully in the style choices of iconic figures who are willing to challenge the status quo of what is deemed ‘acceptable’.  No one is a more appropriate example of this than André Leon Talley. People may be familiar with Talley because of his 2008 cameo role in the Sex and the City movie, or because of his judging role on America’s Next Top Model. What many are unaware of is that, before Talley became a household name, he had been a distinguished figure in fashion, and a front-row regular at shows, for longer than most of us have been alive.

Born in North Carolina, and raised by his grandmother Bennie Frances Davis, Talley was taught to take pride in his appearance from a young age. He began his fashion career working as an assistant for  Andy Warhol, earning a menial $50 a week. It was shortly after this that he met Diana Vreeland, whose sense of grandeur he immediately connected with, and by the time he got his first job with Vogue in 1983, Talley was already well celebrated for his excessive style. Here are a few examples of why…

style.com

Talley is most recognised in fashion circles for his consistent cape wearing. Not satisfied with a simple tuxedo, this blue haute couture gown reflects the grandeur and flamboyance that is representative of his style as a whole.

style.com

How often is it that we see such a statuesque man (or any for that matter) photographed wearing jewels? Talley hugely pushes the boundaries, attending the red carpet in a Roger Vivier necklace and pair of shoes.

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In a day and age where man-bag culprits like Christian Ronaldo come under attack for being “effeminate” or “metrosexual”, this picture sums up how Talley is able to shrug off such criticism by looking effortlessly suave and classy with a Louis Vuitton clutch.

These shots may offer examples of why the shoe legend Manolo Blahnik comments that “André doesn’t have fashion. André himself is fashion”. Talley is a larger-than-life fashion icon (literally-he’s almost 7 foot tall). Talley’s style, in particular his capes, remind me of Alexander von Wagner’s painting The Chariot Race, which is loved by Vivienne Westwood for its depiction of classical styles and Roman drapery. His fashion sense is old-worldly, theatrical and regal. He completely undermines the understated rule that “less is more”. For André Leon Talley, more is fabulous.

 

Top 5: Bond girls

Written by Bianca Boorer on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

Bond has slept with 52 women during his career, starting from 1962 to date with the release of the new film Skyfall. That’s 50 years of shacking up with the fitties! I have ranked the top 5 bond girls based on the ensembles they wore (or more like barely wore) in the 23 films made so far. I warn you some of the names are ridiculously provocative.

#1: Honey Ryder in Dr No (see featured image)
Ursula Andress: the very first bond girl’s signature look is the white bikini. Although the knife would prove useful in the event of a shark attack we’ll probably leave that out. The belt is something we can incorporate into our swimwear attire. Jinx (Halle Berry) even copies it in Die Another Day.

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#2 Sylvia Trench in Dr No
Eunice Gayson spawns the just-had-wild-sex look with an oversized man’s dress-shirt and pointed-toe high heels. To achieve the wild tousled hair without the ‘wild sex’ part, simply backcomb and use hairspray.

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#3 Pussy Galore in Goldfinger
Honor Blackman made it on the list not due to her tasteful name but due to her V-neck tops and fitted trousers. This look comes across as both sophisticated and sexy. This is another look that has been revisited later on in the Bond franchise; seen on Miranda Frost (Rosamund Pike) in Die Another Day.

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#4 Domino Derval in Thunderball
Domino Derval played by French actress Claudine Auger takes the cake when it comes to swimsuit chic! The weather may not be ideal at the moment to be whipping out the bikinis but there’s always the aquatics centre with all the gym fitties! Sun hats may also not be ideal with grey skies but it’ll keep the rain off you.

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#5 Solitaire in Live and Let Die
Jane Seymour makes the list for having the most outlandish attire. It has a very bohemian oriental theme to it that can be incorporated into our wardrobe in a more subtle way. One could even wear a bindi to finish the whole look off!

The Coronas/The Nankeens

Written by Polly Checkland Harding on . Posted in Music.

28th November 2012

Ruby Lounge

The Nankeens 

4/10

Their name, at least, is intriguing. An internet search points to two kinds of Australian bird and a yellowed cotton used for a peculiar nineteenth-century trouser style. On the small Ruby Lounge stage, fenced with instruments, The Nankeens don’t look particularly avian – nor do they much resemble yellow trousers. In fact, as they launch into ‘Over’, the opening chords whining with feedback, they present pretty much like the stock start-up Indie band.

Wearing variously nondescript t-shirts and hoodies, it seems this Salford-based group is going to depend on its sound to stand out. It’s unfortunate, then, that with closed eyes the smudged stacatto vocals of ‘Who Stole New Year’s Eve’ so closely mimic Luke Pritchard, lead singer of The Kooks. The tickled symbol and two-note bass pulse that open ‘Reaper’ are promisingly different, but the lyrics begin and The Nankeens’ front man, Adam Darby, has merely morphed again. This time, he’s channelling Kings of Leon singer Caleb Followill, whose Southern American nasal twist is lent an unconvinced Manchester burr. It’s never a good sign when every song a new band plays makes you think not about how they sound, but who they sound like – Darby stays possessed for much of the rest of the set. In the final song, ‘Here We Go’, his voice is stretched by a key change so that he’s singing at the frayed end of his range.

The Nankeens depart unceremoniously from the stage and do not stick around to meet their fans. As for their name, it turns out that Nankeen cotton used to be manufactured in the Eccles mill they rehearse in, so the association is geographical as much as anything. It seems that this is a band that needs to find out who they really are, before we can. 4/10

The Coronas 

2/10

The Coronas’ front man Danny O’Reilly walks onstage and a good part of the audience gets pretty bothered about the crotch. It’s not just those sky-blue Irish eyes, his dark hair and cheekbones that could chop chocolate – his smile says he knows what underwear you’re wearing, and he fucking loves it.

Setting off at a lick, their first song ‘What You Think You Know’ from the newest album Closer To You, flaunts a growling bass, pulsing drums and sexily bitter lyrics. The next, ‘Dreaming Again Part II (Wait For You)’ is titled like a line in bad poetry and could not be more different. It is the ultimate aphrodisiac – for those to whom sex is a satin heart held by a teddy.

That this seems to be true of most of the audience, who begin to sway, seduced, must be encouraging for a Dublin-based band trying to transition over here. Like the shiny-suited crooners that serenade European café tables, a fake rose plugged between their teeth, O’Reilly sings as if he’s sobbing.

He shifts to the keyboard for ‘Blind Will Lead The Blind’: the melody sounds like bubbles through water and is complimented by a clean drum line. Yet both O’Reilly and lead guitarist Dave McPhilips seem to have polished their teeth with Vaseline, they gurn so determinedly between phrases. The set swoons on, their sound outmoded, with too many words stuffed gaudily into the melodies. A four song encore showcases the most soppy line of the night: ‘if I had a rainbow / I’d put the end of it at our toes’, from ‘Addicted to Progress’. This, their last gig on the tour, ends with audience karaoke to ‘Hey Day’, as O’Reilly passes the mic along: what could be sexier than that?

 

 

Mastermind success for blind University of Manchester student

Written by Michael Williams on . Posted in News.

A PhD student at the University of Manchester is through to the semi-finals of Mastermind after an impressive performance on the show last Friday.

Answering questions on her specialist subject, John Peel’s Festive Fifty, Rachael Neiman secured her place in the semi-finals with 33 points overall.

Rachael, who studies English and American Studies, was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at the age of two and was partially sighted throughout her childhood, before becoming totally blind in her teenage years.

Her impressive performance, which featured no passes at all, also earned Rachael the ‘round of the week’ award on the Mastermind website.

The infamous Mastermind chair is often said to intimidate contestants, but Rachael says that it actually had the opposite effect. “There’s nothing you can do once you’re in the chair,” she said. “Once you’re there you have to get on with it.”

Peel’s Festive Fifty was an often-eclectic list of the best songs of the year, as voted for by listeners. Although you would never guess from her impressive showing in the chair, it wasn’t Rachael’s first choice of topic.

“I actually chose the subject on the spur of the moment,” explained Rachael. “I was a big John Peel fan, so I thought it would be interesting to go back and research the earlier shows I hadn’t heard before.”

Rachael was first bitten by the quizzing bug after appearing on University Challenge as part of the University of Manchester team in 2009. “I hadn’t done many quizzes before then,” Rachael said, “but I got a bit addicted from then on!”

Not content to simply listen to music – or remember lists and lists of facts about it – Rachael is also heavily involved in the industry. She runs her own record label, Cherryade Records, and has a slot on Dandelion Radio, a station dedicated solely to continuing Peel’s legacy.

Well and truly addicted to quizzing, Rachael plans to appear on Only Connect, Brain of Britain and Pointless in the future. “I might try and get my thesis polished up, too,” she said.

The airdate of the semi-finals has not been announced yet, but Rachael tells us to expect to see her on our screens again “around February or March.” Just as Peel chose an eclectic range of music, Rachael is choosing an eclectic range of topics – her next chosen subject will be the work of Victorian lesbian novelist Sarah Waters.

 

Champions League exit displays City’s identity problems

Written by Alex Underwood on . Posted in Sport.

Wednesday the 21st of November proved to be a busy day for Manchester City.

In the afternoon, representatives from the club visited the University of Manchester sporting the Premier League trophy to promote the “Learning Through Football” programme, an initiative that will include the contribution of student volunteers in educational projects for young children across Greater Manchester. After dark a much greater challenge lay ahead: nine-time European Cup winners Real Madrid.

The two events show both how far Manchester City has come as a football club but also the strange dichotomy of a community football club with global ambitions. One of the most celebrated and laudable achievements of City’s ascension is the community work it does and the belief that it is Manchester’s true local club. Yet at the same time the project of Sheikh Al Mansour is an international and expansive one.

The defeat to Real Madrid marked the premature end of City’s Champions League campaign for the second successive season. There are of course many reasons why City have failed to qualify on both occasions: the draws have been particularly unfavourable given that City have been grouped with European giants Bayern Munich and Real Madrid and dangerous attacking opponents Napoli and Borussia Dortmund; a general improvement in European football and decline of English sides at an inopportune moment could also be recognized, on the basis that last season Manchester United also failed to qualify.

But perhaps the real problem is that balancing the club’s local and international identity is proving tricky. Especially among City fans, the idea of the Champions League does not appear to have taken off. Just 40,000 tickets were sold for the critical Ajax game earlier this month compared to over 47,000 for the Aston Villa game two weeks later. The Etihad Stadium has sounded quieter for mid-week games than for League games, which on the surface is strange when such exciting opponents as Real Madrid are in town.

The explanation could be that Manchester City is a club still under development and building a reputation at home; the appetite for Champions League success thus seems to be less strong. For Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal, Champions League nights are extra special because of the history each club can associate to European football. The Champions League is the Holy Grail for sides that have won multiple Premier Leagues and FA Cups and so the fans respond. Manchester City has not yet asserted that domestic dominance.

Local rivalry also plays a part; for a long time City have been the neighbours living in the shadow of Manchester United, but now they have the chance to get one over the enemy every season in the Premier League. That, and the fact that winning the Champions League is a much less realistic objective, may contribute to the sentiment that winning the Premier League is more important.

However, while the transition into becoming a European force is understandably tough, City must look to protect that community link in the process. In time, the ambitions of the City faithful will catch up with those of the club itself and the Champions League will become the priority. At that point projects such as “Learning Through Football” will be even more valuable in grounding Manchester City in Manchester.

Bizarre Sport special: five of the weirdest injuries

Written by Finlay Donaldson on . Posted in Sport.

Whilst injuries are an unfortunate consequence of participation in sport, sometimes you hear of stories that really push the limits of your imagination.  As commonplace as injuries are, sometimes there are stories that are so bizarre, so strange that they merit plenty of attention. Below is a list of five of the strangest injuries to have made the news:

1) Every team has one. The player that always over celebrates. The player that really likes to make a fool of himself. However Bill Gramatica of the Miami Dolphins took public humiliation to a new level during one game. After successfully slotting a kick and deciding to celebrate like he had just won the Super Bowl, Gramatica leapt high in the air and promptly tore his anterior cruciate ligament on landing. Safe to say Bill wasn’t celebrating again anytime soon.

2) It also not a great idea to celebrate prematurely, advice golfer Bobby Cruickshank would have done well to remember during the 1934 U.S. Open. Cruickshank fluffed his shot on the 11th hole, sending it into a creek, yet remarkably the ball bounced off a rock and landed perfectly on the green.  With Booby leading by eight shots and clearly thinking it must be his tournament he allowed himself a small celebration. What happened next is a crash course in how not to protect a lead.  Cruickshank joyously tossed his club in the air but to his display on the way down it hit him in the head and knocked him unconscious. After coming to, Bobby managed to finish the tournament but bogeyed several of the remaining holes and could only tie for third.

3) Not one for the faint hearted, Rugby League player Paul Wood suffered an injury that evoked great sympathy from men all across the world. Early in the second half of the Grand Final, Wood was on the receiving end of a stray knee which resulted in Paul rupturing one of his testicles. Remarkably Wood managed to carry on playing for twenty minutes, keeping up the hard man stigma attached to Rugby League. After the game Paul had to have his testicle removed.  For most, losing half your manhood and the Super League Grand Final in one day would leave you feeling very down but Wood was even able to joke after the operation, posting on twitter: “Just coming out the hospital to go home… Seriously feel like I’ve left something?” That’s a real man.

4) Step forward David Seaman who proved that harm can happen off the pitch as well as on it. The former England goalkeeper, who played over four hundred times for Arsenal, remained largely injury-free in his stellar career but suffered a rather embarrassing moment when at home. Whilst relaxing at home, Seaman managed to pull a muscle in his back just by reaching for the television remote which side lined him for a number of weeks.  Strangely, whilst playing for Paris Saint-Germain, Lionel Letizi suffered the same injury whilst reaching for a Scrabble piece he dropped.  Reports suggest the Scrabble game was called off soon after.

5) While kids all over the country are taught of the benefits of effective communication on a football pitch, aspiring footballers should do well to avoid the example of Alex Stepney. The former Manchester United goalkeeper managed to break his jaw after yelling so loudly. Speechless.

Retro Corner: Age of Empires 2: Age of Kings

Written by Jack Crutcher on . Posted in Games.

Age of Empires was already an established real-time strategy game in 1999 when the second instalment in the long running series was released. Age of Kings was positively received by critics and is now recognised as a major breakthrough for the strategy genre.

In Age of Kings the player takes control of one of thirteen civilisations, including the Mongols, the Franks and the Vikings! Custom mode offers the gamer a choice of which age to start in, allowing beginners to start playing during an advanced age, while letting more experienced gamers start in the dark ages; the earlier the age the harder the challenge. Along with an impressive choice of civilisations the game offers a clear visual improvement on other real-time strategy games released at the time. Every civilisation has its own unique look and distinct units, allowing gamers to distinguish between their own team and the enemy through more than just what colour armour people are wearing.

A few detailed features were added to the game for the first time. Gamers could forge alliances and trade deals with other teams (up to 4 teams could compete on one map) and pool resources before attacking a stronger enemy with a more powerful combined force (any strategists’ idea of heaven). The game also takes on a maritime flavour, with island maps requiring the player to construct navies and engage in sea battles as well as land invasions.

Age of Kings provides an enjoyable campaign, facilitating a gentle progression in difficulty so players have time to hone their strategic skills. Online play is also on offer allowing friends to play online and create game-based communities. Age of kings is innovative, looks great and most importantly of all loads of fun – a must play and if you haven’t you’re only 13 years late!

 

Hitman: Absolution – Review

Written by Michael Howe on . Posted in Games.

Very often developers will try to “reboot” a series by changing the core mechanics to breathe new life into what had become stale and stagnant. The best example is what Capcom did with Resident Evil 4. However, change can alienate old fans whilst bringing new ones into the fold. Fallout 3 was a massive departure from the old formula, but one that brought the game into the modern market. So, does Hitman Absolution meet the expectations of old fans whilst feeling fresh?

The question on any long-time Hitman fan’s lips will be “Is it as good as blood money?” Well, no. Whilst Absolution makes an attempt to be a game-changer, it sadly fails on a number of counts.

The first act, and the first two levels, starts off promisingly, with good stealth sections mixed in with excellent choices on how and when to kill the targets. Admittedly, the first “mark” dies in a cut scene, but getting to them is the journey, and the cut scene is necessary to frame the game’s plot. After that, you’re thrown into a crowded square with a specific target and options. So far, so promising. While you can’t pick your weapons and you are forced to improvise resources, it turned the game into a question of learning the level and made me look for more creative ways to kill the mark. With five difficulty modes to choose from, the hardest of which being eye-wateringly difficult, everything seemed promising.

Then it all went wrong. The first act featured forced stealth sections, with hiding from the police being incredibly frustrating. I won’t get into why – you are an assassin, let’s be fair. Regardless, whilst one can disguise themselves as a member of the police department, somehow the city’s plod all know each other, and as such, the disguise becomes almost useless as they’ll spot you pretty quickly. For those without much patience for this, just play it on easy and speed through. It’s not great.

The stealth is by no means perfect, using the “press button to stick to the wall” mechanic. Hiding in a crowd is sometimes poorly implemented, it broadly works, allowing you to use the environment to distract NPCs or disguises changing what is accepted behaviour.

But it gets better. The game opens up and you have become more creative, going to various places and forced to really try to work out how to cause some of the more creative deaths. The challenges add a huge amount of depth to this, and with only vague hints to go on, one must work out what the game wants. The nun level is nothing like the infamous trailer and is one of my favourite levels, combining stealth with careful takedowns. It’s closer to the first Assassin’s Creed. But that’s okay. It works and there’s a huge amount of rewarding replay value.

For those who want it, Contracts Mode looks to be the most interesting addition. Other players set marks, you pick the weapons (or they do) and you have to work out how to kill everyone silently, being graded on whether you were spotted, if the body was found, etc. It’s heaps of fun, and once the community produces more, it’ll be one of the most interesting multiplayer concepts in a long time.

I played this on PC with on max settings. Graphically it’s gorgeous, with great textures and animations. There was some slowdown, and apparently it’s not perfectly optimised, but patching is in process. The 360 version works fine and still manages to look impressive.

The game is not perfect, but it provides the rare single player, value for money experience. The plot is very Hitman, yet it not overly contrived, taking you and Agent 47 to some pretty… interesting places.

‘It’ll look good on your CV’

Written by Tom Glasser on . Posted in Opinion.

How many of you have heard this phrase whilst being at university? So pervasive in university culture has it become that it has now ousted my number one pet hate: groups of girls who think that talking to each other whilst eating freakishly loud lettuce in the purple area of John Rylands can be considered “a really hard day at the library”.

In the final year of my degree it has been drilled into my psyche in leaflets for charities, career talks and even through my lecturers who have put aside some time to tell us about how we should be concerned about that pivotal section of our CVs: extracurricular. “If you haven’t started working with those school kids down the road yet”, said my lecturer recently, “now’s the time to start thinking.”

It is this attitude towards our extracurricular activities that worries me. At this point I must make clear that in no way am I dismissing the fantastic work that so many students at this university do. There is enthusiasm in abundance within many great university societies, teams and charities. However, through my degree I have met more and more people who will do anything to get that extra bullet point on their CV.

The rise of ‘voluntourism’ – where affluent westerners pay thousands of pounds to take part in a community project – is particularly concerning. One begins to wonder whether modern volunteering, in essence an act of selflessness, is done not for those who need it, but instead for the volunteer. And these charity companies don’t attempt to hide it: “A great improvement to your CV” read one flyer distributed around the University of Manchester, offering trips in excess of £2,500 to tropical countries.

But who can blame them? In the society that we live in, we are all competing against one another to get those coveted job positions. If we weren’t, why would we have chosen to go to university? University is after all talked up as a necessary prerequisite to a good career. We are told that employers like to see multi-tasking, a good balance of work and social life, and an exponential rise (with no breaks!) in personal development, towards the CV of the perfect applicant. Who knows, perhaps in ten years time, employers will look much further back than our higher education:

“So Mr. Smith, I see on your CV that between September 1990 and June 1991, there is a gap in your acquisition of key skill sets and no signs of volunteering?”
“Um, but I was only 1 at the time you see.”
“Thank you Mr Smith; we’ll um…keep in touch.”

I still cling on to the belief that I will find my dream job by befriending the director of BBC Worldwide in a smoky downtown bar. But as graduation day creeps closer – as well as the drunk in the bar who isn’t the director of BBC Worldwide – I begin to worry about that dreaded leap from higher education. A friend of mine recently floated the idea to me that I should get some business cards printed in order to network within the world of radio. Worryingly, the first thing that came to my mind was that scene in American Psycho where Patrick Bateman views his co-workers’ superior business cards and attempts to hide his psychotic envy. I never like projecting myself, the brand ‘Thomas Glasser’, however I understand that in order to sift through the thousands of applications that employers must receive, an individual must stand out from the rest. But I hate writing down that I’m a team player. I’m not. I work better alone.

What worries me is that a generation is being urged by our peers to do constructive extracurricular activities: because if we don’t, we won’t get good jobs. These are activities that we may not even want to do, and activities that many less privileged people will never even have the chance to do. Are we therefore increasingly approaching life thinking that a minute spent enjoying ourselves is a minute wasted? There is, naturally, a solution: lie detectors in job interviews.

“So Mr Smith, we’ve wired you up. Answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ please. Did you genuinely want to travel to Malawi and help build a school, and not to go on safari?”

“OK! OK! I admit it! It was only for my CV! I can’t stand children! There! Are you happy?!”

A nice idea, but hardly a practical one. And, after all, I have to ask myself why I’m writing this piece in the first place. Am I writing it for you or for me? I’ll leave that one for you to work out.

Review: The Sleeping Beauty

Written by Harriet Hill-Payne on . Posted in Arts.

In her text ‘From the Beast to the Blonde,’ Marina Warner discusses the idea that romance, and the fairy tales which owe a significant debt to the romantic tradition, offer us the tantalizing possibility remaking ‘the world in the image of desire.’ That is a sophisticated premise and would I suggest that fairy-tales do two things – they tap into a childlike wish for magic, a belief in impossibility and a certainty in the sense that reality can always be ‘remade’, but they also often access more adult themes of desire, threat and sadness. The importance of keeping a childlike innocence and joy in the story, while not letting the characters become two-dimensional or childishly simplistic, is the balancing act in play here.

This is achieved beautifully in the English National Ballet’s production of ‘The Sleeping Beauty,’ currently touring and playing at the Manchester Opera House. I went last night and was prepared to be amazed by the technical skill of the dancers, to be made jealous by the sumptuous costumes that made you wish you owned a tutu, and to wish I had the ENB Orchestra to follow me around to play at appropriate moments in life. However, I was not prepared for the honest storytelling which grounded and supported that extraordinary spectacle, and achieved what I thought was an impressive feat – make a show which is at first glance people pirouetting around in archaic costumes reveal itself to be real, relevant and believable. Whilst we are, as an audience, initially drawn in by the technical skill of the ballet, I think had it not been for that emotional depth, even the most beautiful pointe work could have left the audience feeling cold. In that sense, the movement provided a route to understanding emotion, and it was that emotion which was the main event, rather than the technical brilliance of the ballerinas flying across the stage.

That is not to say that the dancing itself was underwhelming, just that without that emotive underpinning the story would have felt hollow. That sense of honest emotion was echoed in the sympathetic and detailed costume and set design, which was a development and in some cases a reworking of the original design of the show. The artistic team seemed to share a sense that they didn’t want to make anything too obvious or easy for the audience – details of the choreography meant that at moments we did feel a sympathy for Carabosse, the wicked fairy who casts the spindle spell over the Princess Aurora. Similarly, as Carabosse discovered the Lilac Fairy about to lead the Prince to wake Aurora with a kiss, the lights played across his costume and made some parts of it appear a deeper purple colour, subtly seeming to echo the Lilac Fairy’s own costume. That was just one example of the way in which the production seemed unwilling to draw too obvious a line between ‘good’ and ‘evil,’ between the childish innocence and more adult subtleties of the story.

Whilst we do as an audience rejoice with the happy ending, part of that joy comes, I think, from those subtleties within the performance which mean we never quite forget the threat of Carabosse, but neither do we forget her loneliness and jealousy either, meaning the ballet plays in a quite a sophisticated way with our emotions. These sadder undertones keep the production from becoming to saccharine or indulgent, and ground it in a reality that reminds us, however hard we might try to, we can never wholly ‘remake the world in the image of desire’.

Creative Writing Society

Written by Alix Roberts on . Posted in Societies.

A couple of weeks ago The Societies Show on Fuse FM caught up with Jonny Heath to find out about the Manchester Creative Writing Society. Aside from the interview, we were treated to examples of members’ writings and a song or two from Jonny himself. There is much to be excited about from this little group. The society welcomes students, whether already an avid scribbler or just curious about what’s going on, to come along to meetings to share, listen and enjoy each other’s work.

All information as to when the meetings take place are detailed on the Manchester Creative Writing Facebook group, where the description encourages attendance from people who are interested in “any kind of writing, be it prose, poetry, plays, stream of consciousness or erotica.” A collaboration with other creative events as well as a potential eventual publication are all in the pipeline for the group.

The essence of the group is informal and fun, and it’s a great society for anyone who has wanted to give writing a go but has not had the opportunity to do so. Judgements are left at the door so if you fancy getting involved, don’t hesitate to drop Chair Jonny Heath. Here are a couple of tasters from the group so far:
Define a ‘kiss’ by Joe Goodman

How many moments plucked?
pucked, touched, fucked.
Find the strength to define,
when lips align, a kiss.
Father son, does that disgust you?
Wife husband, does it hurt you?
This moment we use,
choose to abuse,
clutch in our dreams
and use as a means
to sacred time? A seal of love?
No stolen, polluted, an oil caked dove.
Give me a reason
I’ll stab the whore,
then kiss her cold hand
and waltz out the door.
Onto another’s love in disguise,
into the legs of stripping eyes,
to pound romance with a volley of lies
and a dove falls to earth as the ‘kiss’ dies.

Untitled by Phoebe Georgia Allan

I can go from blissed to pissed quicker than a spinning disk.
My mind flies high in the in the skies of unity,
Representing everything it should be;
freedom, sympathy and tranquillity.
Pure, A-zure.
I have days when I’m even happy to be sad,
A negative thought or sentiment I choose to dismiss,
Laugh it gone and blow it a kiss.
A great and beautiful sense of release- power, belief
and then my soma levels rapidly increase,
as I dance with the gods, our spirits purified , our bodies energised, and we whisper;
‘Now what may foeman’s malice do to harm us? What, O Immortal, mortal man’s deception’
Lib-er-at-ion
My body is tinkling
My flesh, bones soul and mind intertwined
Care free, happy as can be,
Then.
I change it up a key,
Shunning all that I preached,
Let out, lock out, and let go of every pebble of peace in my mind’s beach.
Like I’ve given birth to a beast.
Now, nothing makes sense hence
I behave like a slave to the witches’ trade
Casting spells of bad smells and I’m thinking
‘STOP!’
No more potions for these feeble motions,
A conversation with my own desperation,
‘please, take me back to the paradise of my creation,
where celebratory elation is a necessary condition of human composition.’

 

Top professions dominated by private school leavers

Written by Pippa Allen-Kinross on . Posted in News.

Attending Eton and Oxbridge remains the path to success in the UK, according to a report by the Sutton Trust.

The Trust found that 31 percent of those in top professions in the UK studied at Oxbridge, whilst 44 percent were privately educated.

Ten leading independent schools account for 12 percent of the total, with Eton College alone responsible for 4 percent. Only 21 percent went to a state school, and 27 percent to a grammar school.

Sir Peter Lampl, Chairman of the Sutton Trust, said that the figures show “how dominant leading universities and schools remain across the professions in Britain,” and that it is “important that access to our leading schools and universities is on the basis of ability alone.”

The report says that “independent schools make up 7 per cent of the school population, yet constitute over half the leading news journalists, medics, chief executives, and 70 per cent of barristers and judges”.

22 per cent of those researched had no higher education, whilst 20 per cent attended a leading university other than Oxbridge, including the University of Manchester.

Julian Skyrme, Head of Widening Participation at the University of Manchester, hailed this as “an important report.”

He said: “The nation’s ‘leading people’ in this report are dominated by people who went to top universities like Manchester and schools in the independent sector.

“Among the leading institutions in the report, we are proud that Manchester takes in the highest number of learners from state schools, lower socio-economic groups and low participation neighbourhoods.”

Around 22 per cent of students at the University of Manchester are thought to be privately educated, although the university also accepts the highest number of students from ‘low participation areas’ of the Russell Group.

The report’s findings were based on 7,637 people who had been educated in the UK, and whose birthdays were noted by national newspapers during 2011.

Last week another report suggested that poor advice and lack of confidence were preventing high achieving state-school pupils from aiming for the best universities.

Sir Peter said that the survey demonstrates “how far we still need to go to improve social mobility in this country.”

Live: Crystal Castles

Written by Joe Goggins on . Posted in Music.

28th November 2012

6/10

Crystal Castles are an enormously difficult outfit to make sense of. They present themselves as embodiments of their own take on the punk aesthetic, but play the 2500 capacity Academy 1 tonight as part of a tour of similarly-sized venues that is seeing them perform, not for the first time, to a mixture of posers  and Topshop-attired indie kids who look about as likely to incite genuine anarchy as the Women’s Institute. They project an apparent disdain for publicity that, given their frequent appearances in the NME, is surely disingenuous. And the three records they’ve released to date, all solid efforts that occasionally sparkle with brilliance, have often proved little more than an afterthought in the public consciousness when compared to their typically-frenetic live shows.

The Crystal Castles live experience is considerably less raw these days, at least in terms of Alice Glass’ crowd interaction; she certainly gets involved tonight, but she seems more interested in crowd surfing and sharing the mic than starting a fight with literally anyone who’s interested. Way back in the heady days of 2008, Glass’ appetite for pseudo-violent confrontations with the crowd and, often, the security often spilled over into the crowd and made their shows at least notorious enough for the NME to view them as the band to preserve the publication’s punk credentials – you might remember that they spent most of the rest of 2008 forcing Glasvegas and  Mystery Jets onto anyone who’d listen. To their credit, though, Glass and perma-hooded beat-provider Ethan Kath have acknowledged the decline in intensity and attempted to offset it with by making the evening into less of a concert and more a fearsome, multi-sensory assault probably best avoided by those of a nervous disposition.

The decibel level has been cracked up considerably, every beat now designed to batter the eardrums, but for the most part it’s an improvement, especially in terms of Glass’ vocals; in the past, they were too often too quiet, drowned in Kath’s sea of synth, or too heavily distorted, but tonight the shrieks are crisp throughout the likes of ‘Alice Practice’ and ‘Baptism’, and her more sedate, melodic delivery on ‘Celestica’ cuts through equally strongly. The light show is totally blistering, with strobes of such severity that any sound man brave enough to tour with the band is obviously willing to part with his corneas.

The problem, though, is that when the evening’s calmer, more pensive moments arrive, they serve only to lend the set a disjointed feel. We already know that Crystal Castles are capable of quieter, reflective moments, but the likes of ‘Sad Eyes’ and ‘Empathy’, whilst not perhaps as out of place as they might have been a few years ago, still don’t sit comfortably alongside the barrage of noise that the rest of the set represents. We’re watching a band in transition – not the riot-inciters they once were, but, onstage at least, not yet the versatile unit that their records present, either.

Review: Fraser Chapman at the Cornerhouse

Written by Clayton Fuller on . Posted in Arts.

Even from across the street, through the rain, and between the buses, it’s quite easy to see the first series of work by the Cornerhouse’s newest ‘Projects’ exhibitionist – Fraser Chapman.

On the ground floor, a collection of five globe-like paintings demand attention with their large size and varicoloured composition. At first glance, it’s difficult to know what it is we’re looking at – my first guesses ranged from microscopic views of germs to worrisomely active weather maps.

The Manchester-based artist’s paintings are actually, as described by Cornerhouse, “accurate depictions of the geological makeup of the lunar surface.” Far-out man! From the near side to the far side, each area of the moon is illustrated in a paint-by-the-numbers fashion. Whether the paintings have a meaning or purpose that extends beyond exploring the aesthetic potential of geologic maps is for Chapman to know and for us to decide. Either way, they’re worth seeing as a beyond-earth warmup before heading upstairs where David Shrigley’s exhibit will turn your world upside down.

On the first floor, in the back area of the Cornerhouse café, can be found Chapman’s second series. You’ll have to make your way through bustling tables of chatty, cultured types drinking their wine, scribbling in their notebooks, and excitedly discussing their newest ideas, but that’s part of the fun.

In this second series, Chapman channels his inner-Marcel Duchamp by imaginatively repurposing a set of found, mass-produced canvases. In the first two paintings, Still Life #1 and Still Life #2, the figures are reduced to silhouettes while the setting remains untouched — allowing us to reinterpret scenes originally depicted by masterful painters such as Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

The majority of the remaining pieces are covered almost entirely in white emulsion — leaving only one or two subjects untouched. By placing a dense fog around the remaining figures, they become the focal point of our understanding of the scene. We are left to imagine the setting and, perhaps, realise our frustration with concealed information.

Fraser Chapman has more than a just a cool name – he has the honour of displaying his work at the Cornerhouse and you should go check it out.

The race for Christmas Number One

Written by Adam Selby on . Posted in News.

As the tinsel begins to come out and the first doors on advent calendars across the country are opened – not forgetting that list of forgotten family friends who you still write a card to, despite not seeing them for years – it can only mean one thing; Christmas is well and truly on its way. And with the festive season comes the annual race to see who can take the coveted Christmas Number 1 spot in the singles charts. But is it still the serious contest that it once was, or do we really care who tops the charts this Yuletide?

Plenty has changed in terms of the race for the number one spot, as compared to the past. Firstly, if you turn the clocks back thirty years or so, the build up, the waiting and the anticipation for which song would make it to the top put this announcement on a par with the Queen’s speech, in terms of importance on Christmas Day. Artists rallied hard on limited resources to promote their song and push it to number one purely for the prestige and honour of being the nation’s favourite song, not solely for the money and publicity it would provide them, as is the case with many artists in this day and age.

However, 2012 proves significant in the context of the battle to chart success at Christmas, marking the end of a decade which has seen a reality television revolution, led by the grinch himself, Mr. Simon Cowell. Since 2002, six out of the last ten Christmas number ones have been held by the winner of Cowell’s competitions (seven if you count Little Mix’s attempt in 2011 until they were replaced, later on Christmas Day, by The Military Wives). It was a period of musical ennui that continued unbroken until 2009 saw the successful Facebook campaign that placed the decidedly-unfestive Rage Against the Machine top of the heap. Yet even before the days of The X Factor and Pop Idol, there was an ongoing change in trend as to what the Great British public went out and bought during the eighties and nineties. We seemed to wave goodbye to any future possibility of a festive number one, and in the process we glorified the highly dubious likes of  Mr Blobby, Bob The Builder and Brian Harvey’s four piece East 17.

Early rumours have suggested that The X Factor are set to bow out of the traditional battle for the Christmas number one, after what has been a disappointing series for Cowell and co. The Hillsborough justice campaign’s charity effort and Girls Aloud’s comeback track are both contenders, but the odds-on favourite this year hints at a long-sought return to tradition – the twenty-fifth anniversary re-release of The Pogues’ ‘Fairytale of New York’. If the evergreen Irish rockers can pull it off, it’d make for a refreshing move away from charity songs and reality show releases, and back towards a bit of festive convention – it can only be a good thing.