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Month: February 2013

Live: The Good Natured

27th February 2013

Night & Day Café

It’s often the case with emerging talent that they find themselves performing at the more rustic venues before making the transition to the neon and concrete arenas. Tonight was such an occasion for The Good Natured as they delivered a humble set at Manchester’s Night and Day Café.

Amidst the mish-mash of heavy wooden bar furniture, walls peeling of its red paint, The Good Natured unceremoniously took to a stage loosely draped in fairy-lights. The trio, fronted by Sarah McIntosh, stood awkwardly on stage, Sarah herself dressed scantily in a leopard print blouse and dazzling rouge spandex hot-pants, whereas her much more subdued accomplices sported asymmetric fringes and looked decidedly 1980s revival in their suits.

Despite the ‘dark electronic pop’ band’s modest entrance, it wasn’t long until the assembled crowd were mesmerised by the vigour of Sarah’s stage presence, one that brimmed with the exuberance that all good front men and women seem to possess. Normally such low-key performances from the band’s bassist and drummer would be observed critically, but in this instance it was understandable, as Sarah stole the stage for her own.

From the outset, the audience was captivated by Sarah’s spritely gyration and eccentric demeanour as she took to lying spread-eagle on the floor whilst maintaining unbroken singing. But even that could no longer be contained to the stage, as in an act of unity she climbed down and submersed herself among the admiring fans.  On her return to the stage for ‘Lovers’, she playfully wrapped herself up in the cord of her mic. For the following track, ‘Your Body Is a Machine’, she showed us a glimpse of her multi-instrumental flair as she took control of the drums. As the set drew to a close, the responsibility for appeasing the crowd’s appetite was left to the fan favourite ‘Skeleton’, closing out a confident, understated performance.

The Voices of Sport

THE WRITER/BROADCASTER: DOMINIC MCGUINNESS

Dominic McGuinness has worked for the BBC, Sky and ITN as a writer and broadcaster, and has independently produced documentaries for ITV. He is currently North West correspondent for TalkSPORT radio.

McGuinness’ biggest tips for prospective sport journalists are to show enthusiasm and be useful. “Get as much experience as you can,” he says, “there is luck involved with the timing. But if you show you are willing and contact producers and reporters then you can show that you have that bit extra.”

McGuinness cites his own route into sport journalism as evidence of the enthusiasm needed. “I managed to meet the then sport editor of BBC Manchester. He offered me a game to cover – Stalybridge. I was just helping out in my part time, but through that I learned a little bit more about it and made contacts within the station.”

Once you get the contact, that isn’t the end of the story. “They don’t want people just coming in and hanging around,” McGuinness is keen to stress. “Then they just end up babysitting, and you are a drain on their time. Show you can help. Once you get into places be yourself be friendly and try to learn, not be a spare part.”   

As a freelance broadcaster, McGuinness is constantly aware of the competitive world of journalism.”It is an excellent job and I’ve been very lucky,” he says, “but I’ve always wanted to do new things and mix it up a bit. That creates pressure: you’re constantly mindful that you have to fill your diary.”

‘Fill your diary’ is an understatement for McGuinness, who balances his writing and broadcasting with community work and education. When asked for his career highlight, he struggles to single out one achievement; he is clearly proud of everything he does.

“If I had to choose, it would be my Hatton book [‘Ricky Hatton – the Real Hitman’, published in 2006] I had to work to get a publisher involved, to get Hatton involved. I was pleased to get it off the ground and see it come to fruition- to see it there in black and white is fantastic, as I’d worked on it from start to finish.”

One of McGuinness’ current ventures is ‘The Sport Business’, a Community Interest Company based in Manchester that he co-founded. As McGuinness puts it, their purpose is to “get people involved in sports at a grassroots level, playing or watching, and do some good for the community.” 

One aspect of this that is particularly relevant is the Broadcasting Masterclasses, provided by the company, where attendees can learn more such tips from McGuinness and other top sport journalists-and many of these classes offer a student discount. Find out more at www.thesportbusiness.co.uk

 

THE PUNDIT: GUILLEM BALAGUE

Guillem Balague is a Spanish football expert, probably best known for his appearances on Sky’s show Revista de La Liga, in which he provides consistent, accurate analysis. He is also a regular columnist for Spanish paper AS, and appears as a guest writer for a host of other sporting outlets, including the European football magazine Champions.

Balague has an intimate knowledge of Spanish football, and much of his journalistic approach comes from sources close to the heart of some of the biggest clubs and names in Spain. In January this year, for example, he correctly denied that Guardiola was resisting the overtures of Ambramovich, and would not be heading to Chelsea.

In early November, Balague came to Manchester as part of his book launch, Another Way of Winning, which was a biography on Guardiola. We caught up with him to try and prise some secrets of the trade.

“Trust,” he says, “is key.” Balague’s style is heavily reliant on sources in good positions. Keeping them sweet is essential, in his eyes, to good journalism. His success, and respect as a journalist, has stemmed from building up a strong and loyal base of sources; as he says, he’s “been knocking on doors for years”.  They know that they can trust him not to reveal who they are, and that he will feed the information out to the wider world at the correct time.

Cross-checking sources to validate information is also crucial to Balague. “You normally check at least two sources”, he says, “as long as you as you have as much information and checked it with enough sources… then you report it.”

Balague also stresses the importance of adding an element of character to the stories that he builds. “You should not just give the results, you should be talking about the characters behind it”, he says. “Give it three dimensions!” This element of Balague’s style is most prominent in his biography of Guardiola, in which he was given unprecedented access to the Barcelona coach. The result is a captivating character study of the Catalan.

 

THE COMMENTATOR: ROB PALMER

Rob Palmer is Sky’s main commentator for their coverage of Spanish Football. He began his career with Granada Television and ITV before making the switch in 1996.

Palmer was present at Balague’s book launch in Manchester, and we took the opportunity to find out how he managed to make it as a commentator.

Interestingly, despite playing football professionally as a goalkeeper, Palmer’s first steps in the world of sport media came in Rugby League, where he then moved onto football.  This is the path that he feels is most successful. “I would say, to anyone, to not try and go straight into football.”

Of course, there are reasons for this.  Everyone wants to talk about football; even more so today than when Palmer first started doing it in the early 1990s. Now, there are countless blogs and websites out there, all competing against each other and often working for little or no pay. “It’s an oversaturated market”, Palmer says. “Try and find a niche sport, to begin with, and then make the step.”

Within the football world, Palmer’s emphasis is again on ‘niche’. When he and Guillem first started to cover La Liga for Sky, it was very much an ad-hoc affair with little professionalism and little interest. However, they had found a niche area at the time, and once it began to take off with the Galatico era in the early2000’s, their careers followed.

Palmer’s advice:  keep a keen eye on the Bundesliga.

 

Interview: The Joy Formidable

“We’ve definitely followed a non-traditional path.” Ritzy Bryan is recalling The Joy Formidable’s early days. “Although, honestly, I’ve got no idea what a traditional path is these days.” She’s speaking to The Mancunion from Antwerp, in the thick of a European tour that’s taken in headline dates as well as support slots to Bloc Party; tonight’s the latter. “We really had to look to ourselves back then. We were touring to fund recording, then putting EPs out as and when we had the songs; I’m glad we did it in such an honest way. It certainly helped us build a fanbase.”

The Welsh trio’s sophomore release, Wolf’s Law, landed last month and represents a fast turnaround by their own standards, arriving two years after debut The Big Roar, which itself was twice as long in the gestation. Ritzy’s cautious when I ask her how she feels it’s been received; “I don’t think we need validation from other people – it’d go against the ethic of the band. We’d never release something we weren’t proud of. The important thing is the reaction from the fans, which has been fantastic. It’s been a lot of fun getting our heads round playing it live, too.”

Since their inception in 2007, the band seem to have been on tour pretty much permanently, which leaves you wondering how they managed to write and record Wolf’s Law with so much of their time swallowed up by their extensive live schedule. “We did a lot of work on the road,” explains Ritzy. “We never really stop writing. We did an awful lot of demoing in hotel rooms, just experimenting with different ideas we were coming up with. When we finally had some time off, we wanted a contrast to that for the recording – that was what drove the decision to set up the studio in Portland, Maine.”

Sure enough, the trio travelled across the pond to decamp to the wilderness. “We just really needed the solitude, the isolation, to be able to take all these different concepts and diverse little experiments and make them into something focused enough to come together as a cohesive record.”

The Joy Formidable certainly don’t have a track record of shying away from being musically ambitious; The Big Roar was characterised by huge guitars and epic soundscapes. Things have become even more grandiose on Wolf’s Law, with the introduction of a string section; was it deliberate, I ask, to try and forge a sonic departure on the new album?

“Not at all. I certainly don’t believe you should ever to try to force anything when you’re writing; you’ve got to experiment, and try and dabble in a bit of everything that appeals to you. You should be pursuing whatever’s exciting you musically. A lot of bands seem to have a pretty rigid structure that they stick to when making records, but  that’d never work for us; you’ve got to be adventurous, you can’t be scared of things going wrong. There’s a lot to be said for trial and error.”

The band’s lack of conventional structure extends to the collaboration between Ritzy and bassist Rhydian Dafydd, who between them comprise the songwriting core of the outfit. “Some songs are more me and others are more him, but we never overthink things; we’re both happy writing together and alone. By the time we finish a lot of our songs, it’s difficult to pin down where my influence ends and Rhydian’s begins, which makes for a very vibrant process, I think.”

Thematically, there’s been a lot of talk about the influence of nature on Wolf’s Law, which, on reflection, Ritzy attributes to the environment the band grew up in. “There’s definitely a lot of metaphor and imagery on the lyrical side of the record that’s inspired by nature,” she says. “I think that comes from myself and Rhydian growing up in North Wales; the surroundings there were very evocative. Nature really informs the imagination.”

Not that the album’s themes only extend to that one concept: “I think we address technology on there as well, and the balancing act of wanting to advance but being careful not to become too disconnected from the real world. There’s a real breadth of themes on the record, which I think is a symptom of the way it was written; when you’re travelling, you’re constantly having your mind stimulated by so many different things. I do think our own personalities anchor the songs on the album, though; there’s personal stuff on there too, about what inspires us and what frustrates us.”

Recognition in rock music doesn’t really come much bigger than the seal of approval from one of the genre’s genuine legends, as The Joy Formidable discovered when Dave Grohl pronounced ‘Whirring’ to be the ‘song of the year’ on Twitter. It marked the beginning of a relationship which saw the band open for Foo Fighters on a slew of U.S. dates, including shows at Madison Square Garden. “It was just an incredible experience all round. They were so good to us. I’d like to think we’d treat up and coming bands that way once we’re a bit more established.”

Taking into account this current jaunt with Bloc Party and the support slots with Muse late last year, there’s clearly a trend developing – perhaps these huge bands know that The Joy Formidable’s epic guitar sound makes them ideal touring partners? “Maybe,” Ritzy ponders. “I do think it’s very flattering to be appreciated by such a diverse range of bands; it proves that we’re multi-dimensional, that we’re not easy to pigeonhole, which is great. It’s a fantastic challenge to have, but, to be honest, nothing beats playing to your own fans, and knowing you’re in front of a crowd that have invested in you, that want you to have a career.”

There’s an obvious divide between the band’s identity in the studio and onstage – check out their party piece, a ten-minute extended version of ‘Whirring’, for proof – and it’s something they’re clearly comfortable with. “You know, I fucking hate going to gigs and hearing a record played exactly as the studio version sounds. We definitely embrace the difference between the two; we never worried about how we were going to make the new songs work live when we were recording. We want to let them breathe.”

Characteristically, exhaustive touring is set to dominate 2013 for The Joy Formidable, but they’ve already got one eye on the next record. “There’s quite a bit of stuff left over from the Maine sessions, actually,” says Ritzy. “And we’ve got an EP in Welsh that we’ve been meaning to get finished for ages now. We’ll keep writing on the road, definitely. We certainly aren’t planning on slowing down any time soon.”

The Joy Formidable play The Ritz on February 28. Wolf’s Law is out now on Atlantic Records

How To dress for uni: A boys guide

What we wear to university can say a lot about us. We all knew this in first year; we decided our outfits well in advance, allowed enough time to shower in the mornings and occasionally even ironed our clothes. I remember rigorously calculating the exact date I should shave which would result in the perfect amount of stubble on my first day. And when that first day came, I strutted into uni wearing my latest Topman purchase, leaving a trail of Lynx Africa behind me. Thank god those days have gone. However, it recently dawned on me that we should perhaps learn something from our naive, fresher selves; we may have upgraded our deodorant since then, but our effort to look presentable for uni has completely vanished. Either every boy at uni has found a girlfriend (or boyfriend) and therefore feels no need to try and impress anyone, or we’ve all just become incredibly lazy. This realisation has encouraged me to reach out to my fellow poorly-dressed students and offer my five pieces of advice:

1)  Sportswear is for sport. Why do we feel the uncontrollable need to constantly wear tracksuit bottoms and hoodies? The only time this outfit is acceptable is if you genuinely are about to, or just have, taken part in physical activity (note: fighting for a seat on the Magic Bus does not constitute physical activity).

2)  Putting a hat on is not a replacement for washing your hair. Yes, we all love the hipster woollen hat that barely fits our heads, but it is unacceptable to wear one throughout lectures, and especially seminars. A quick morning shower will alleviate the routine embarrassment which follows taking off your hat.

3)  Shoes complete an outfit. Now New Balance trainers have teamed up with Jack Wills they will inevitably become uncool. Therefore, every other boy in Manchester will be looking for new footwear. Vans are too common and your gym shoes are not an option (see number 1). How about actual shoes? Not trainers, but real leather shoes. Cow have a fantastic selection of vintage leather brogues and slippers. If that’s not your scene then try suede desert boots. You will instantly look smarter and your feet will most likely stay drier.

4)  Wear a watch. Although unlikely to improve your timekeeping, it will apply some sophistication to your outfit. Rotary is a good place to start, although Cassio will suffice if, like me, you’ve already spent your student loan on unnecessary holidays. Avoid a Rolex; you will get mugged.

5)  Get a decent uni bag. You may think an ASDA bag-for-life portrays anti-consumerism and a detachment from the material world, but it actually portrays a poor supermarket choice with a touch of homelessness. Most people opt for a reliable rucksack, usually of the Herschel family. They are smart, stylish and practical, without making you look like your dad. If you want to pretend you’re studying Art instead of Engineering, Pop Boutique in the Northern Quarter usually have a fun range of vintage briefcases and satchels.

We are soon to be upstanding, well educated men of Britain. Perhaps it’s time we started to dress like them. I’m not suggesting we copy that one guy who dons a suit for lectures (usually an ill-fitting Matalan special), but perhaps re-adopt our first year efforts. After all, we are at uni to achieve a degree. Let’s start by achieving a decent wardrobe.

Red Carpet 101

When making one’s way down the red carpet, etiquette is absolutely everything. I could not tell you who won the Academy Award for Best Actress last year, but I can tell you who was wearing what and if it worked or not; we all know this is where the true winners and losers are decided. From the dress and hair to the choice of pose, nothing is overlooked. One wants to pay heed to current trends in the fashion world whilst also maintaining a look that will survive the years and not be looked back on in anguish. Victoria Beckham is the ultimate repeat offender of this.

Photo: jenniferfabulous.blogspot.com

 

There are some obvious don’ts concerning outfit choice (dramatic as it may sound, wearing the same dress as another attendee can ruin your night, as well as your reputation). Furthermore, a bad dress will be remembered, this Uma Thurman picture still makes me shudder almost a decade on. Depending on the magnitude of an awards ceremony, the rules may vary but there are some pertinent guidelines for red carpet success: the old rule of cleavage or legs on show, not both, is one that translates for most ceremony-goers; unless you are Beyoncé. Obviously. In fact this year the Grammy awards imposed a dress code on its guests, stating amongst many other guidelines that ‘Bare sides or under curvature of the breasts’ would cause problems – who knew under boobs were such a no-no? Through the years many rules have been crafted so as to keep up the stellar reputation of the awards season. Starlets have had to learn from their predecessors’ triumphs and fails. Putting weights in one’s gown is an age-old favourite; not everyone looks as glamorous as Marilyn with their skirts blowing in the wind. Thus there is never any excuse for repeating someone else’s past mistakes. But while etiquette may be everything, it is important to remember the likes of Rihanna or Jennifer Lopez, who continue to show us that rules are made to be broken.

Here come the boys

Robert Pattinson

While I’m aware the elusive R-Patz is the receiver of much hate, I’m not one to go along with it. Ignoring the Twilight franchise, which he hates, he’s been in some pretty decent films. However, he’s often seen with some particularly trampy pieces (not including Kristen Stewart) but did brush up exceptionally well for the premiere of Breaking Dawn Part II, as shown wearing this green Gucci suit. Whoever said red and green should never be seen was clearly wrong.

Paired with a pale shirt, dark tie and trimmed stubble he almost looks like a sexy leprechaun, albeit much taller, with brown hair and minus the accent. It’s well fitting too, which is vital with such a bold choice of suit, but then again, he is a leading man. I feel like this is a faultless choice for a premiere; however I’m glad it’s just that and not the Oscars, which should be less “snazzy”.

Photo: esquire.com

Alec Baldwin

By no means am I saying Alec Baldwin isn’t a fashionable man, but I wouldn’t go so far as to label him a style icon. If anyone knows his character from 30 Rock then you’ll know he’s no stranger to suits. At the Cannes Film Festival though he whipped out this saucy number, and I’m not talking about his date.

This midnight blue tux stands out but not in an obvious way. It still exuberates class and is tailored perfectly. With his satin bow tie and A-list smile Alec Baldwin should be welcomed on any red carpet. The lapels are a beautiful touch as well, breaking the suit up without being tacky. This is a great example of a twist on a classic, as the suit is very close to the black classic but gives him a very subtle and sartorial edge.

Photo: esquire.com

Edward Norton

Classically untouched: sometimes the simple look is the best choice in men’s fashion, especially on the red carpet. The paparazzi may just be holding cameras, but a bad shot can be as harmful as if they were armed with guns. Edward Norton however, looks dashing in this dark grey suit, with a skinny tie to complement his slim physique.

I think for any man who faces a red carpet and wants a traditional style without too much glam, this is a great example. Well groomed too, this look has it all. Although it is a given that a man’s options are significantly less than woman’s, you’d think it would be hard to go wrong.

The most important point in this piece though is the tailoring. With something as humble as this suit, if the fit was wrong then it would all go wrong. An ill-fitting jacket can be as glaringly obvious as a wandering bra strap and there’s simply no point wearing a £3000 suit if it’s going to fit like a bin bag.

Brad Pitt and ‘the leg’. Photo: styleproofed.com

Brad Pitt

If you can look away from Angelina Jolie’s leg for a moment and focus on its date, you can see Chanel’s main man looking much more dapper than in the recent advertising campaign. There is nothing to question about the clothes Brad is wearing here. It’s an archetypal black tuxedo, but it’s a timeless look nevertheless. With a crisp white shirt and simple satin bow tie paired with some smart and well-polished shoes, Brad Pitt is showing that he doesn’t need to try. The Oscars aren’t an event to mess about with. I’m sure Helen Mirren’s pink do will be gone in time for this year’s as well. Take another look at Angelina’s leg if you’d like. Brad’s style here even makes up for his scruffier grooming appearance. And despite his pretty casual pose, the suit still gives him class. I’d be tempted to throw one of these on Joaquin Phoenix and see if it would work the same magic – like painting walls some off-white colour to make a room “minimalist”.

RAG Week

Seven days. Seven different events. Hundreds of people. The chance to raise thousands of pounds. RAG Week 2013 is fast approaching and is set to be bigger and better than ever! Starting on Monday 11th February and running till Sunday 18th February, this week raises crazy amounts for the RAG Community Fund, which is divided in May between various Northwest based charities.

Kicking off the week is a comedy night held at Squirrels Bar on Monday at 7pm, headlined by Colin Manford and showcasing some of the finest student stand-up the University has to offer. Tuesday night is your time to get your corset and fishnets on (gender irrespective) for the long-established screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, shown at Fab Cafe on Portland Street from 7pm. Need a date in time for Valentine’s Day? Head down to Joseph Whitworth on Wednesday 13th from 8pm to be matched up with the girl or guy of your dreams in our massively successful Speed Dating. If nobody there takes your fancy, never fear as Take Me Out is taking place on Thursday 14thin Academy 2 – with contestants from the ITV show making an appearance! We’re still looking for contestants, so if you’re interested, email [email protected]. Take Me Out 2012 was hugely popular so get your tickets early from the Student Activities office. If you fancy doing something a little different on Friday night, Dare Night is for you – head down to Font, Fallowfield, at 8pm and take part in some ridiculous and hilarious dares across the city. Saturday night sees student bands competing for your vote in Battle of the Bands, and finally the week culminates in a fully interactive pub quiz at Owens Park bar, from 7pm.

If this wasn’t enough, keep your eyes peeled around campus during the day times. Ever fancied trying Water Zorbing? Well here’s your chance – head to University Place on Tuesday. Think Quidditch is just for wizards? Think again and come to our very own tournament on Wednesday 13th. Get your fix of summer by coming to the carnival on Thursday, also held outside University Place, for sumo wrestling, gladiator jousting and much more.

RAG week is organised by students, for students, and really does have something for everybody to get involved in. Come let your hair down, have a laugh, knowing that you’re helping to raise thousands of pounds for deserving causes.

With 1/5 Mancunians living in poverty, it’s time we looked beyond the Oxford Road Corridor

A world away from the purple hoodies of Oxford Road, increasing numbers of Mancunians are living in conditions of extreme poverty. Last Wednesday the ‘Campaign to End Poverty’ published figures which revealed that Manchester Central has the highest levels of child poverty in the whole of the UK, with nearly half (47%) of children experiencing severe poverty. This news follows the shocking findings published by ‘Greater Manchester Poverty Commission’ last month. The commission revealed that over one in five residents in Greater Manchester lives in conditions of ‘extreme poverty’. Bishop McCulloch, the chair of the report, classed ‘extreme poverty’ as an income of less than £12,000 a year. In revealing that one in five Mancunians lives in the 10% most severely deprived areas in the country, the report exposed the stark reality of unemployment, low income and public sector neglect in Manchester. Furthermore, the commission warned that if economic conditions worsen and welfare services further diminish, then up to 1.6 million, half of Manchester’s population, will risk falling into poverty. With rising unemployment rates and dwindling public services, the gulf between South and North Manchester has never felt greater.

Nevertheless, as a student, it is easy to remain isolated from the deprivation which lies beyond the impermeable bubble of Oxford Road. In between the anxious wait for exam results and the dread of impending deadlines, it is inexcusably easy to become detached from the wider city in which we live. Surrounded by an abundance of academic, consumer and entertainment facilities, the majority of students limit themselves to the Oxford Road corridor and seldom venture beyond either Fallowfield or Picadilly. For this reason, the extreme deprivation of the surrounding areas often goes unnoticed. Whilst, we impatiently reload our student portals in desperate anticipation for exam results, the decision between hunger, heating and transport remains a real choice for many Manchester residents. Furthermore, while we fail to notice the daily privileges of our bus-pass or internet access, not to mention our monopoly-sized loans, many young people in Manchester have highly limited access to basic transport and technology facilities. If poverty is defined as a lack of choice – not being able to choose how you spend your time, where you live, what you buy, who you meet and where you go – then ‘studenthood’ is its very antithesis. Whilst the student life is characterised by a wealth of free time and a sociable lifestyle, for many Mancunians poverty permeates everyday life and the threat of being laid off, having benefits cut or houses repossessed remains a reality for many.

As the largest student city in Western Europe, it seems ironic that Manchester is also home to the highest levels of child poverty and property repossession in the whole of the UK. In this highly polarised city, the student population remains a world apart from its surrounding areas of deprivation. Nevertheless, students inability to detect the poverty which surrounds them is neither the result of apathy or social exclusion, rather it is because students have no reason or desire to visit the parts of Manchester hit hardest by destitution. Real deprivation has no place in ‘student ghettoes’. Furthermore, ‘studentification’ has led to minimal interaction between students and local communities. The inherently transient, cyclical nature of student life – many of us come for three years and then leave – has meant that students often have little commitment to the past or future of the city of Manchester, instead they remain involved in the perpetual present.

It is not enough to accept the disparity between our beloved Russell Group university and the wider city in which it is situated. The University and those within it must play a greater role in shaping the fabric of adjacent neighbourhoods surrounding campus. Rather than turning a blind eye to Moss Side, which is half a mile to the East of John Rylands or Longsight which is half a mile to the West of University Place, the University must take responsibility for the wider community in which it is located. By delivering provision for the community and widening participation from under-represented groups, the University would be able to expand its role within the wider city. Moreover, in expanding student placements in the community and increasing funding to groups like ‘Student Action’, who have a long legacy of a remarkable work in the community, Manchester would become increasingly integrated into the wider community. In congruence with the recommendations of the recent report, we must address the gross disparities in wealth and improve practical solutions for those living in poverty.  As ‘Mancunions’, we hold a responsibility to the wider city in which we live.

Surviving Supper: Cubism

Background

It is commonly thought that Cubism was spawned when Picasso came back to Paris from Spain in 1907. He painted Les Desmoiselles d’Avignon which although not considered a Cubist painting itself, is considered key in the development of Cubism as is the influence of Cézanne and ‘primitive art’. Picasso and Braque like ‘mountaineers roped together’ developed a new way of depicting reality in painting that was simultaneously representational and non-naturalistic. Cubism came close to total abstraction but always retained some element of our visual world within the composition. Braque and Picasso rejected the traditions of perspective and representation and instead, ‘painted forms as they think them, not as they see them’ – Picasso. They treated nature in terms of geometrical shapes and often represented several angels at once in order to re-invent traditional subject matter. It is important to remember how shocking this new style would’ve appeared for the art audience in 1907 when all the conventions of painting were dropped.

Style

Flat multi-faceted surface made up of geometric shapes

Seemingly floating planes with sharp interpenetrating angles

Monochromatic colour schemes generally of browns and blacks

Few recognisable forms and often lettering was incorporated both to emphasise the flatness of the canvas while at the same time adding an element of reality

Use of multiple viewpoints

There were in fact two different forms of Cubism: Analytical and Synthetic. Both phases have the same principles as listed above. The main difference was the increase both in colour and decorative elements in Synthetic Cubism which was also more visually simplistic. Another key development when we consider Synthetic Cubism is the addition of collage and ‘ready-mades’ which displaced the skill of the artist being central to the work of art and can be seen as the beginnings of the Conceptual art we are surrounded by now.

Key Players

Pablo Picasso – co-founder of Cubism

Georges Braque – co-founder of Cubism

Juan Gris – pioneer of Synthetic Cubism

Paintings to Know

Les Desmoiselles d’Avignon – Pablo Picasso 1907 (MoMA, New York)

The Portuguese – Georges Braque 1911 (Kunstmuseum, Basel)

Still Life With Chair Caning – Pablo Picasso 1912 (Musée Picasso)

The Sunblind – Juan Gris 1914 (Tate, London)

‘Improdigy’ at Frog and Bucket brings laughs, but not plenty of them

The rather oddly named Frog and Bucket is a comedy club situated at the scruffy end of Oldham Street in the Northern Quarter. Established comedy acts have been road testing new material over the past couple of weeks, the improvised comedy troupe Improdigy being one of them.

The troupe is made up of four rather over-excitable theatre types, game to make you laugh at any cost.  As an improvised comedy virgin I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it turns out audience participation is the name of the game. Results range from great spontaneous gags, to some awkward sideways glances amongst audience members, to agonising silences across the room, when no-one on stage can think of anything witty.

The dodgy compere warmed up the stage for the main act. In terms of sheer effort, the troupe deserved a pat on the back, but it was clear to all they needed to keep practicing.  Two hours later and after a fair few seriously unimaginative suggestions from the crowd, predictably along the lines of sex, paedophilia and genitals, I was all improv-ed out, but had had many laughs along the way.

The venue itself is dimly lit and dingy in a tacky but charming way. The faces of big name acts who had once started out here adorn the walls and give the feeling that you could be in the presence of the next big thing.

Improdigy probably aren’t it. However, if you fancy a cheap evening out, and can be bothered to trek out to the Northern Quarter on a Wednesday evening, you can’t go far wrong with some improvised comedy at the Frog and Bucket. Although be sure to have a few bevvies beforehand (the drinks at the bar are pretty overpriced) to loosen the tongue for some serious heckling.

Check out their website for more nights www.frogandbucket.com.

Editor’s note: The original image used for this post, of the Slap and Giggle comedians, has been removed. Slap and Giggle are not connected to the Improdigy troupe and the editor apologises for suggesting this through the use of the photograph.

‘Four’ at Cornerhouse: The Curation

Whilst browsing the interesting installations and original sculptural pieces of Cornerhouse’s latest exhibition, ‘Four’, several questions came to mind.  To shed light on these, I spoke to one of the three young curators who worked on this exhibition, Elizabeth Gibson, to find out her main aims for the exhibition, how the team went about the selection process and why she thinks Cornerhouse, once again, managed to hit the nail on the head.

 

What drew you to the work of the artists you chose to include in the exhibition, and did you want it to embody a particular theme?
We had written out a brief for artists to respond to, so we were looking for applications for work that we felt fitted the criteria we had set out, which included originality, creative use of media and accessibility to a wide audience. We didn’t have a definite theme in mind; we simply wanted to pick the best works and see if a theme started to emerge. In the end several did, such as colour and texture.

 

What made you decide to include solely British artists in ‘Four’?
The brief was open to artists anywhere in the world, and indeed we got submissions from all over the globe (over 600 in total!). We would happily have included international artists in the exhibition; it just happened that the four we picked were British. It wasn’t a conscious choice to only have British artists.

 

Did you encounter any problems during the curation process, considering your age and experience?
Not really; the hardest thing was narrowing down so many good applications to just four. I don’t think our age or inexperience was a hindrance; I think it’s a good idea to have Young Curators at galleries like Cornerhouse as we often have different ideas to older and more established curators, and this can lead to greater variety in the exhibitions a gallery puts on.

 

Can you give one piece of advice to any young curators hoping to follow in your footsteps?
Don’t be afraid to voice your opinion – I am known for being quite a quiet person but when you are working with a group of people who all have different ideas, communication is key. Make sure your ideas are heard. If there is one piece of work you think would really work in an exhibition, fight its cause! In both exhibitions (Lost is Found – at Cornerhouse in 2012 – and Four) there was a piece I felt strongly about that I managed to “sell” to the others by describing clearly why I thought it would work. Both times the piece made it into the final exhibition. So don’t be afraid to speak out!

 

How did you feel when you were chosen to take part in curating an exhibition for Cornerhouse?
Very excited; I had previously been on the curation team for Lost is Found and it was an amazing experience. I hoped curating Four would be as enjoyable; it turned out to be even more so.

 

What do you think makes Cornerhouse unique in comparison to other galleries across Manchester and the UK?
The fact that it is quite small I think gives it a more intimate feel than in some other galleries. In addition, it is accessible straight from the street which means that you can pop in whenever you like and spend a short time there, or you can go for a whole evening and incorporate a meal and a film. It’s a lovely place to be. And they do amazing hot chocolate.

 

How do you think the exhibition was received by the viewing public, and if you could go back and change anything, would you?
We had lots of visitors on our opening night, and lots of positive comments, so I think it was well-received. I don’t think I would change anything; I really like the way it turned out. All the artists have excelled themselves, and the work is brilliant.

Elizabeth’s responses provide us with a rare insight into the finer details of the curation process, and could certainly be said to drum up more appreciation for the time and effort that goes into organising such a thought-provoking and entertaining exhibition. Giving some great nuggets of advice, Elizabeth demonstrates why she and other young curators should be granted the highest praise for their contribution to the city’s culture.

See Sarah’s original review here: https://mancunion.com/2013/02/05/four-at-cornerhouse/

Preview: Iron Man 3

After saving New York from alien invaders last summer (with a little help from some friends) you would expect Tony Stark, and his alter ego Iron Man, to be looking for time off. But the movies don’t work that way, or rather the studio coffers don’t when The Avengers amassed over a billion dollars globally, and so Iron Man returns for his next solo outing.

But after the massive superhero team-up of last summer, will audiences be satisfied with just one superhero to save the day when you could have half a dozen? The answer from the film’s producers seems to be not to try and go bigger but to do ‘deeper’, or as is obligatory in Hollywood these days, ‘darker’. Indeed if the trailers are anything to go by we may see less of the wise-cracking Tony Stark from the past two films and instead see a more serious Stark grappling with the inner dilemma of “Does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?”.

It certainly seems like an interesting direction to take the franchise in and after the disappointment of Iron Man 2, Marvel Studios clearly wants to take Iron Man back to basics: Tony’s world is destroyed by the evil Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) and as he finds himself with nothing but his genius to fight back with and no Thor or Captain America on speed dial, we’ll likely be seeing a darker, grittier Iron Man, more in the vein of the first film. How his love interest Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow) and best bud and fellow metal fan, Rhodey (Don Cheadle) fit in with this is yet to be seen.

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of Iron Man 3 is new director, Shane Black. Black, who directed Downey, Jr. in the fantastic Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, replaces Jon Favreau in a move which will hopefully inject some of his trademark dark wit into proceedings. He’s also added an excellent supporting cast including Guy Pearce and Rebecca Hall to take on Stark in some verbal (and physical) sparring.

But how will this all fit in with the wider Marvel Universe? We already know that both Thor and Captain America are returning for their next individual adventures and that the Avengers are re-assembling in 2015. By planning the next group reunion so far in advance, Marvel risks removing the suspense of whether these characters will survive their next mission as we already know we’ll be seeing them in a few years time again. Or maybe this is a ploy. Maybe Iron Man is soon to be scrap metal? Only time (and box office receipts) will tell.   

It’s a small world: comic book movies in the age of shared continuity

It should never have happened. To suggest that, back when it was first announced in 2008, Marvel’s The Avengers (2012) would have been the runaway success that it was seems slightly delusional. On the face of it, it has all the makings of a blockbuster hit: big action and bigger characters. However The Avengers required something from audiences which action movies are not particularly famed for: investment. The movie wasn’t designed to introduce you to the characters (that had already been done) rather it simply tried to tell an engaging story.

However, rather than balk at the idea of needing to know preliminary information, audiences embraced the thing which has been making comic books enjoyable since their inception: familiar characters that progress over years, even decades. Comic book movie audiences now want to see what would happen when all these heroes’ paths cross.

The story doesn’t stop with the end of Avengers however. This has merely been the first phase of Marvel’s (and parent company Disney’s) master plan. Phase two is already around the corner with Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World coming later this year and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians Of The Galaxy, Ant Man and Avengers 2 all in various stages of production. These movies promise a wealth of new stories for fans, and many zeroes added to Disney’s bank account.

If Marvel’s Iron Man (2008) was the beginning of a new, more colourful type of superhero movie, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight (2008) from main competitor DC Comics was completely the opposite. A dark, gritty, grounded world which didn’t make room for any of the other superheroes in DC’s pantheon. As successful and critically acclaimed as the Nolan Batman trilogy was, it is now over and leaves DC with the very difficult question of where do we go from here. Seeing the box office figures for The Avengers and their ilk it’s little wonder that DC are trying their hand at the shared universe concept with a new Superman reboot imminent (Zack Snyder’s The Man Of Steel) and the possibility of a Justice League movie (most likely featuring The Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and, of course, Batman) tentatively scheduled for 2015.

Pessimistic as one is inclined to be about the success of a Justice League movie (2 years is not a lot of time to complete such a giant endeavour), it’s hard not to admire DC and Marvel for their dedication to the shared universe concept. Comic book movies have, up until now, been plagued by reboot after reboot (case in point the atrocious Amazing Spider-Man from last year, made a mere five years after Spider-Man 3). One of the best things about shared universes (if they’re successful) is that we can grant ourselves the luxury of getting used to a character, of not having to trawl through the origin story ad infinitum. This is what The Avengers and the Justice League movie represent: a chance for us to have a consistent set of characters, ones that we’re comfortable enough with to not want them to be deleted and started afresh every five years.

It’s gotten to the point where we all know how Superman got his cape, how Batman got his cowl, how Spidey got his webslingers etc. It’s time that we got some new stories from our favourite heroes and if DC and Marvel continue on the path they’ve set out for themselves, that looks like exactly what we’re going to get. It’s an old cliché in comic books that no one ever stays dead. Let’s hope that comic book movies can continue to keep the characters we love, alive.

Review: Cloud Atlas

Cloud Atlas follows individuals connected throughout the past, present and future whose actions ‘echo through time’. Helmed by The Wachowski’s and Run Lola Run director Tom Tykwer, and boasting an all-star cast including Tom Hanks and Halle Berry, I had nothing but high expectations when I sat down to watch Cloud Atlas.

The scene is set under a starry cosmos with a scarred and grizzly Tom Hanks musing over ancestral stories, which are all ‘tied up into one.’ We’re then thrust into the six tales that make up Cloud Atlas. In 1849 a lawyer helps liberate a tortured slave. Next in 1926, in England, a young composer seeks fame and fortune by aiding an older one. In 70’s San Francisco, a tough journalist is on the trail of corruption in a Nuclear power plant. A publisher is confined against his will in a nursing home in modern day England. Then in 2144, a clone in Neo-Seoul endeavours to expose her society’s dark secrets. Lastly, in a post-apocalyptic world a tribesman battles his personal demons to help a beautiful and idealistic ‘off-worlder’.

The leading cast members each play four or five different roles throughout the film. Tom Hanks gives an interesting range of performances, from an eccentric nineteenth century doctor to a psychopathic Irish gangster turned author. His most impressive role is as the tribesman Zachry, who is haunted by a demonic spectre on his quest towards redemption and love. But it’s Ben Whishaw, who recently assumed the title of Q in Skyfall, that stands out. As Robert Frobisher, he’s hired as an assistant to an aging, legendary composer. Forced to hide his love for another man in 1920’s English society, his tragic tale is the most poignant and captivating – definitely an actor to keep your eye on in the coming years.

The attempt to transform Jim Sturgess into a Korean man, and Halle Berry and Doona Bae into Caucasians was a questionable choice. Also the make-up department left Hugo Weaving, in his role as the sadistic Nurse Noakes, looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger on his way to a costume party as Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

Needless to say, Cloud Atlas is grand and overly ambitious. Initially the fast pace and constant switching between narratives leaves you inquisitive and eager to know more. But the film soon plateaus when you realise that each story is as predictable as the next, and with such loose connections between them, you end up feeling like you’re watching 172 minutes of similar-looking trailers.

As all six tales progress, the notion that these characters are connected and that life transcends time, place and death is excessively stressed, through the philosophical rhetoric. This leaves you hoping for a revelatory climax, which sadly never comes. The stories are left scattered like the canvas of stars that open and close this epic, leaving the audience to contend with the highfalutin philosophy of the film, which is essentially one slack idea: if you screw up in one life, you can redeem yourself in the next as a futuristic Korean freedom-fighter or Tom Hanks looking like he’s just wandered off the set of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Top 5: Anti-rom-coms

5.  Celeste & Jesse Forever (2012)

Jesse and Celeste are getting divorced but still spend almost every minute of the day together. After realising that this arrangement may be stalling their love lives they decide to give each other more space, resulting in a tale of how hard it can be to let go and accept circumstances.

4.  Annie Hall (1977)

Woody Allen directs, writes and stars in what may be the archetypal anti-rom-com. If you’re looking for a movie that holds the ethos of whatever may be anti-romance, then this is it.

3.  War Of The Roses (1989)

Divorce battles can be ugly, but it’s taken to a violently sinister level in this black comedy. After several years of marriage, things fall apart for Oliver and Barbara Rose and a cacophony of hurling plates, smashing statues and abuse ensues. No wonder it’s named after an historic bloodshed.

2.  Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004)

Haven’t we all wished we could erase the memory of a certain someone to start anew? Eternal Sunshine makes this idea a reality. Jim Carrey’s Joel takes this step following the information that his ex Clementine has done the same; we get to chase along with Joel as he changes his mind mid-process and fights to keep every moment spent with her.

1.  500 Days Of Summer (2009)

“This is not a love story, this is a story about love”, we are told at the beginning of the movie. This indie flick is a delightful chronicle of how seldom our expectations match up with reality in the matters of the heart, making it the ultimate anti-rom-com.

Toasties and ‘little bits of the Real’

Theodor W. Adorno uses the word ‘culinary’ to designate something of an unanalytic and self-satisfied attitude, so cookery advice might be the last thing you’d expect of us, but…

There are three Lacanian orders: the Imaginary, the Symbolic and the Real. If the Imaginary registers the split in subjectivity (the gap between what we know as ourselves and what we see in the mirror, for example), then the Real is that very split itself. The Symbolic is the realm of language and of knowledge, and the Real in relation to the Symbolic is as that which is unsymbolisable, inassimilable; all that which we cannot know, the magnitude of which can never be subsumed. The Real is also that which breaks into our lives as trauma, the first symbolic impressions of which we repress and later articulate in symptoms. Lacan says the best we can ever perceive of the Real is only ‘little bits’.

Some, such as James Joyce, might welcome such ‘little bits of the Real’, and try their best to re-present them as ‘real’ (i.e., bring them into the Symbolic order), despite knowing the actual (Real) impossibility of such an endeavour; as he said of Finnegans Wake in a self-critical moment: ‘isn’t it arbitrary to pretend to express the nocturnal life by means of conscious work?’ (Portraits of the Artist is Exile,p.213).

Most of us, however, might prefer to dispel these ‘little bits of the Real’ from our Symbolic universe; and how better to do this than to convert them into symbolic entities? The following is thus of necessity a metaphor: but if we take a loaf of bread, and we don’t want curly hair, we might be prone to leaving the crusts, prone to – in a very small way – being slightly traumatised by there being crusts at all. All we need is a toastie maker. Putting the filling on the crust side and buttering the bread side, squashing the sandwich until it’s sealed toasted, we get the end result of a toastie which looks and tastes like any other made of two middle slices, despite it containing a little bit of the Real. The efficacy of the toastie maker may then be a fitting metaphor for the efficacy of our own Symbolic orders.

‘An Exhibition’ at the Holden Gallery

My first impression of An Exhibition was the stark emptiness of the space – though what else should I have expected, considering two of the main contributing artists, Lawrence Weiner and Stefan Brüggemann, are known for their minimal intervention when creating works. Weiner, founder of the postminimalist movement, and Brüggemann whose installations are characterized by his minimal intrusion, are exhibited alongside MMU trained Carey Young and works by the Itinerant Texts Art Collective.

An Exhibition seeks to question what the components of an exhibition are. Beneath the title An Exhibition three criteria are set out:

1) a space that must be filled

2) an interaction between artist, curator, audience and the gallery

3) a conversation about the use of language and communication through the display of art.

As one might guess, instead of following these conventional exhibition rules, the show attempts to questions them, with each piece only satisfying the basic criteria, and going no further. What results is a set of images which tick the necessary boxes for it to qualify as ‘an exhibition’, but without actually creating anything more than a set of images. What seems to be being explored here is the gap between the exhibition criteria and what makes for a coherent exhibition experience, and the artistic possibilities which emerge from that gap.

The central space in the gallery is filled by 4 temporary walls with 1560 possible names of exhibitions that enshrine a 2×2 cube of cardboard boxes each with NOTHING scrawled across them, the epitome of a non-piece, an artwork in denial of being a work of art. Here, questions of what makes a work of art, and what qualifies as art, as ‘an exhibition’, are probed intelligently and interestingly.

You are guided around the room by a mind-map of comments such as ‘aha’ and  ‘nice idea’ towards the first piece, where, printed on the wall in strong block capitals are the words: A TRANSLATION FROM ONE LANGUAGE TO ANOTHER. Ironically nothing has been translated – the words are the same as they would be on a page – but now on a wall in an exhibition it has become a ‘work of art’. Painted on the remaining walls are AS LONG AS IT LASTS, (THIS IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE) and finally I CANT EXPLAIN AND I WONT EVEN TRY each following a similar self-contradictory trend.

An Exhibition stands as a witty satire of the art industry, and, as we have seen, raises important questions of what is an exhibition and what is a work of art.

 

 

Live: The Lumineers

19th February 2013

Academy 1

9/10

The Lumineers’ European shows are sold out for the next two months solid; their public profile here is relatively low, but their huge reputation in the US has earned them a cult fan base  They begin with ‘Charlie Boy’: the opening notes from a mandolin tease the audience into silence. Frontman Wesley Schultz, blonde hair surfing over his forehead, delivers the song’s sentiment with a resonance that echoes beyond its simple lyrics. A cello swells the sound between the words, spot lit in the arms of Neyla Pekavek.

The set gathers momentum, accelerating through the military syllables of ‘Submarines’ and the parlor room piano chords of ‘I Ain’t Nobody’s Problem’. With each song, a new scene is set. For ‘Classy Girls’, Schultz animates his guitar by balancing a brown fedora on its head – the furious rhythm of the song makes it seem like there should be sawdust, not plastic cups, spread across the floor, with a summer’s evening outside

Next, the band disappears from the stage. The lights blink on, illuminating hundreds of confused faces – until shock registers as Schultz’s guitar is spotted threading its way through the Academy. Coming from chairs in the center, his request to “put away all recording devices” goes directly against the instinct to preserve this experience, even as the audience is given parts in singing the band’s anthem, ‘Ho Hey’.

Like the dental veneers that share their name, The Lumineers’ songs don’t amount to much more than a bright surface. They have, however, crafted a live show that is all about being present, giving real meaning to the word ‘live’. Queue for tickets, leave your phone at home: follow the line ‘It takes a boy to live / It takes a man to pretend he was there’, from ‘Flowers In Your Hair’, and be a child in our time.

Preview: Foals

Having entered the album chart at number two and met with near-universal critical acclaim, Holy Fire looks set to cement Foals’ place at indie’s top table. After the crunching ‘Inhaler’ gave us a taster late last year – frontman Yannis Phillippakis howling over a huge, Tom Morello-esque riff – lead single ‘My Number’ sees the band back in more familiar territory, and serves as a musical microcosm of their evolution on this record; balancing the inventive guitar work of their debut with the sunshine funk of their sophomore effort’s ‘Miami’, it’s representative of the middle ground that Foals have managed to strike between Antidotes and Total Life Forever, with the technical excellence of the former married with the latter’s denser, warmer sound.

After blowing off the cobwebs and re-honing their live craft across a series of dates in basement venues before Christmas, Foals are ready to bring Holy Fire to the big cities, kicking off their tour proper with a sold-out date at Academy 1 on March 2nd. Two shows in a day at the Royal Albert Hall will wrap up the run on March 28th and represent a significant milestone for the band. Having previously brought their incendiary live show to packed houses at Mancunian venues as diverse as the Academy, the Ritz and the Warehouse Project, it’s fitting that the Oxford outfit are poised to get things underway in Manchester; this Academy date looks bound to be their most intimate in the city for a long time to come.

Foals play Academy 1 on March 2nd – sold out. The band will DJ at Odder after the show – tickets £5 from Skiddle.