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Day: 10 February 2014

Preview: Darkside

Written by Rachel Connolly on . Posted in Music.

27th March

Ritz

Darkside, the duo comprised of electronic virtuoso Nicolas Jaar and bassist Dave Harrington will play a Manchester show at the Ritz, one of only 4 UK tour dates. This performance will likely be anticipated with excitement and curiosity by electronic and experimental music lovers alike.

The excitement generated by anything attached to Jaar’s name is understandable; at 24 he already has his own record label, Clown and Sunset; the critically acclaimed Space is Only Noise and an impressive reputation for live sets.

The catalogue of work produced by Jaar and Harrington since the pair were introduced in their final year at Brown has signaled a departure for Jaar from the minimal techno of Space is Only Noise. Last year Darkside entered the mainstream consciousness by mixing the massively hyped Random Access Memories to an almost unrecognizable and other wordly form, riding the wave of publicity to generate interest for their own album Psychic.

Psychic is informed by a completely counter intuitive catalogue of influences. Jaar describes it as ‘the closest thing I’ve ever made to a rock and roll album’, think Pink Floyd meets CAN meet Villalobos via Santana. If Darkside live was a recital of the album, this would make an extraordinary show, however Jaar’s transformative live performances promise it will be something much, much more.

With Jaar it seems the only thing to expect is to be surprised. The strange minimalism of Space is Only Noise seems completely at odds with a sweaty, dancy sellout Warehouse Project show, as does a live band complete with saxophonist. Yet Jaar seamlessly adapted to mainstream dance for a highlight opening weekend performance last year. In a Pitchfork interview, Jaar described Harrington as the more experimental of the two, a promising suggestion for his live contribution. The Ritz is a fitting venue to highlight the departure from electronic music and I am curious about how Psychic will be warped to this environment. This March show is not to be missed.

Live: Lo-Fi launch night with Boddika

Written by Matt Gibney on . Posted in Music.

31st January

Joshua Brooks

8/10

With so many longstanding parties running across the city it can often be difficult for new promoters to establish themselves in amongst such a sea of competition. One way to make yourself standout is to nail your bookings and Lo-Fi – Manchester’s latest techno offering – certainly managed this with the announcement of Swamp 81 stalwart Boddika as guest selector for their launch night. Equally renowned for his solo work, his collaborations with Joy Orbison and for the careful curation of his Nonplus label, Boddika is one of the most respected figures about and so a chance to see him in the intimate confines of Joshua Brooks wasn’t one we were going to miss.

The Lo-Fi residents were more than capable of getting bodies moving, working through a set dominated by punchy percussion and big basslines – the filtered euphoria of Damiano von Erckert’s “Housem” proving a notable highlight. With the crowd suitably warmed up, Boddika took to the decks. Although apparently suffering from illness on the night this failed to hamper his performance as he delivered a typically abrasive set of pummelling techno to the packed out Joshua Brooks basement. While in the past the Joshua Brooks sound has suffered from being too quiet, there were no such problems tonight with the system seemingly tailor made for the take-no-prisoners techno unleashed. Including a healthy dose of his own material such as ‘Mercy’ and ‘Heat’, Boddika proved adept at raising energy levels in the room. Arguably the biggest reaction of the night was reserved for ‘More Maim’ – his latest collaboration with Joy Orbison – which sent the crowd into frenzy as it was expertly mixed out of Matrixxman’s equally banging “Protocol”. All in all the night was a resounding success and, given the equally impressive booking of Surgeon for their next event on 8th March, it looks like there’s a lot of life left in the Lo-Fi locker.

Live: Kevin Devine

Written by Ruby Hoffman on . Posted in Music.

7th February

Soup Kitchen

6/10

“This is the best show we’ve played on this tour,” Brooklyn-based indie folk artist Kevin Devine announces to the crowded basement venue of Soup Kitchen, and based on his ability to fill out this particular  venue, perhaps it is.  Devine has been touring Europe and the UK in support of his recently released records Bubblegum and Bulldozer, which he terms to be a mix of his typical acoustic tracks and “more angry garage rock” (the latter might be a stretch).  There’s no doubt that Devine has talent, and captivates the audience with his sincere lyricism and wry humor, but there’s something to be said when the most rousing applause of the night comes from his Smiths cover of ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’.

Although an hour and a half set list isn’t too unusual, there comes a time when there is only so much to be heard of similar sounding acoustic songs.  To be fair, this may also have been due to the choice of support act Sorry, No, another solo acoustic artist hailing from Manchester who, despite his best efforts, didn’t come across as much more than a watered-down version of Devine.

At least Devine seemed comfortable on stage, albeit very self-deprecating (introducing songs by means of “all I do is write is love songs, and they’re mostly shit, but this one might be alright” doesn’t seem to instill a vote of confidence and very high expectations, especially considering Devine has been touring for more than a decade).  All in all, the fact that Devine has been at it for so long makes it confusing that the whole performance seemed a tad reminiscent of one by an insecure songwriter at an open mic.  However, there’s no denying that he has a genuinely good voice, and that’s what counts in the long run.

Live: Sepultura

Written by Emily Castles on . Posted in Music.

5th February
Ritz
8/10
“We are the real Sepultura!” growled front man Derrick Green before kicking off the set with the first track from their new album, Trauma of War. After over fifteen years with Sepultura, Green has certainly put his mark on the band, his formidable stature and authentic sound brutally bringing the Brazilian metalheads into their thirtieth decade.
Sepultura gigs always have the power to bring together both “the oldies” as Green referred to them and the new generation of metal fans, their unique combination of thrash and Brazilian melody entrancing many. The mixture of both songs from the past ten years, particularly those from their new album The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be the Heart, and those from the Cavalera era, pleased all those who ventured out on the cold and windy Manchester night. But there is no doubt that the likes of ‘Arise’ and ‘Refuse! Resist!’ achieved the biggest cheers of the night, the classic tracks triggering the largest and fiercest mosh-pits of the evening, fans chanting the lyrics with dedication.
Always musically flawless, guitarist Andreas Kisser, one of the members who has been in the band from the start, gave a truly vivacious performance. As he threw out his plectrums at the end of the night, the screams from the crowd were fierce, all desperate to get a piece of the Brazilian guitar God. Bassist Paulo Jr. and drummer Eloy Casagrande gave equally skilful performances, and Derrick himself even ventured to the side of the stage to play drums during the classic Ramahatta. Ending with the almighty Roots Bloody Roots, Sepultura proved on this night that they are just as big and just as brutal as ever. Fans will be waiting in anticipation to see what the Brazilians come up with next.

Album: Angel Olsen – Burn Your Fire For No Witness

Written by Michael Crick on . Posted in Music.

Released 18th February, 2014

Jagjaguwar

7/10

While there’s certainly no shortage of American, folk-oriented singer-songwriters these days, Angel Olsen manages to stand out from the crowd. Along with Joanna Newsom and Marissa Nadler, she offers an original take on a familiar sound and, like those two, her power lies in her beautifully idiosyncratic voice. Olsen’s acrobatic vocals present an incredible range of timbres, moving from a gentle keen, to a Patsy Cline-esque yodel, to a dramatic howl that sounds like a distant call to prayer from a minaret.

Her first full-length album, 2012’s Half Way Home, marked a significant progression from the previous year’s Strange Cacti EP, as Olsen discarded the lo-fi, reverb-soaked sound of that release, embellishing her songs with a backing band and bringing her mournful vocals to the fore. With her new LP, Burn Your Fire for No Witness, Olsen has refined and developed the sound of her first two records.

The album sees a remarkable widening of the sonic palette. The second song, ‘Forgiven/Forgotten’, is a grunge-influenced track that recalls early PJ Harvey and is Olsen’s heaviest to date. Fast-paced and driven by distorted chords, the song climaxes with the anguished cry of an electric guitar, reminiscent of the Pixies’ Joey Santiago, and a whirlwind of distortion surrounding Olsen’s tormented vocals. The next track, ‘Hi-Five’, a triumphant ode to loneliness, similarly showcases a newfound sense of aggression, ending with a swell of feedback.

However, the record is most moving when Olsen returns to the skeletal sound of her earlier material. This is seen with the stripped-down opening song, ‘Unfucktheworld’, and the acoustic offering, ‘Enemy’. But the album’s standout moment is ‘White Fire’, a delicate, finger-picked dirge, over which Olsen whispers a fatalistic tale of isolation.

While the album stutters somewhat towards the middle – ‘Lights Out’ is a little melodramatic, getting dangerously close to power ballad territory – Burn Your Fire for No Witness is still a success. Olsen has progressed, creating a more expansive sound, while retaining the intimate, funereal atmosphere that makes her music so stunningly heartrending.

Live: Bill Callahan

Written by Bernadette Chapman on . Posted in Music.

3rd February

The Ritz

7/10

For me, Bill Callahan exists in isolation. I could never place his music, which sounds as if it could have been made any time in the past fifty years. His appearance doesn’t give anything away. If he hadn’t any grey in his hair, I wouldn’t balk if you told me he was twenty years younger than he is. I couldn’t even imagine what his fans would be like. On waiting for him to appear on stage, he still felt hard to pin down. There was an ancient man with long white hair reading the Guardian as I waited, and a group of children around the age of 13 stood patiently next to me in skater hoodies.

As he played, it was clear there’s something subtley iconoclastic about Callahan. Whilst his music is soft 70s Americana, his almost gravelly vocals lend it an edge that prevents it from feeling too stiff or dated. The occasional diversions in his songs in the form of stops and starts and unexpected guitar parts offer an intriguing alternative route to music that could otherwise seem middle of the road. These diversions don’t jolt, and Callahan’s understated vocals mesmerise and provide a compelling consistency.

‘Drover,’ sounds like a train cutting through an old, lost America, with a harmonica for its horn and a guitar for the rushing wheels driving the rhythm forward. ‘Spring’ from Callahan’s new album, Dream River, fortunately does away with the jazz flute live therefore Callahan alone to make the refrain, “All I wanna do is make love to you,” sound as seedy as it does on record. Whilst each song is a treat to watch, the mundane and soft rock elements of his music become more pronounced as the songs are performed one after the other. His appeal lies largely in his cool, calm vocals, and Callahan is better suited to a late night whisper on a record player rather than a two hour live experience.

The Other Room: experimental poetry

Written by Alex Webb on . Posted in Books.

On the 5th February at the Castle Hotel, a small pub on Oldham Street, I entered the world of experimental poetry. Frances Presley, Gavin Selerie and Chris Stephenson read from a number of their published collections and showcased some of their new work to an enthusiastic and engaged audience. Chris Stephenson started with a funny call-and-response list of insults: “milky way buttonhole/underachieving hemorrhoid”. Stephenson’s poems utilised unusual forms with his ‘Revenge of the Mirror People’ being best described as loose, unconnected rambling. However, this was not a bad thing as Stephenson’s work was concerned with reimagining how we define poems and poetry as a genre.

Frances Presley was the most established poet with eleven publications. Her books Mine and An Alphabet for Alina formed the basis of her reading following a theme of ‘trees’ for the night. Presley’s poems were the hardest to engage with as they were fitted precariously around her theme. However, Presley had some of the best poems of the night. My favourites were ‘L is for Logs’, which discusses various stereotypes about women, and ‘Branches’, an interesting take on the “suffering” of a tree. These two are clear indicators of the abstract poetry that The Other Room aims for.

After a short interval, the standout poet, Gavin Selerie took to the stage and read a vast range of poems. Exceptional pieces were ‘Man U’, a poem about MADAM, the first computer built in Manchester, using onomatopoeia and different voices to keep the audience engaged with a positive response. ‘Cloud Head’, read as an interior monologue, really showcased Selerie’s remarkable skill as a spoken-word poet.

Overall I enjoyed my first strange insight into experimental poetry and would encourage anyone who is interested in the genre to go to the next event on the 2nd April at 7pm. Walk through the doors of the Castle Hotel with an open mind and you’ll leave with a refreshing, new understanding of just how vast the world of poetry is. And look out for me in the audience.

Top 5: 70’s Soundtracks

Written by Ant Cornish on . Posted in Film.

5. A Clockwork Orange

“Oh bliss! Bliss and heaven! Oh it was gorgeousness and gorgeousity made flesh.” Such are the thoughts of Alex as he listens to Beethoven’s 9th – and it is hard not to share this opinion with him as the use of 18th century music perfectly captures the timeless genius of this Kubrick masterpiece.

 

4. Manhattan

“New York was his town, and it always would be.” Just as Woody Allen announces his ownership of the city to the backdrop of its various wonders, there is an eruption of classical jazz in the form of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Rarely does a piece of music capture the essence of a scene so well.

 

3. Jaws

“We’re gonna need a bigger boat.” The gripping leitmotif that signifies the imminent arrival of the villainous great white shark (Jaws to his friends) has since become of the most famous musical scores in cinematic history. Hats off to John Williams.

 

2. The Godfather

“I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.” This Nino Rota composition is the musical manifestation of mafia. It carries the Sicilian roots of Corleone into America with unquestionable sincerity and style.

 

1. Taxi Driver

“Thank God for the rain to wash the trash off the sidewalk.” And thank God for Bernard Herrmann to wash the sleaze out of 1970s New York. The remarkable beauty of the saxophone provides elegance in a vice-ridden city producing the ultimate effect of juxtaposition.

Preview: Maleficent

Written by Parizad Mangi on . Posted in Film.

This summer’s cinema season will kick off with what may be one of Disney’s most ambitious and challenging projects yet. Hollywood’s leading production house, who has since long occupied everyone’s childhood with their tales of love and benevolence, seems to have taken a rather sinister shift with their latest, Maleficent.

You may recognise the name from Disney’s iconic Sleeping Beauty, where Maleficent is the nefarious nemesis of the royal family that casts a curse on the princess Aurora as revenge for being shunned out of the kingdom’s celebrations. So naturally, a part prequel and part live-action retelling of the beloved animation is very intriguing. A-lister Angelina Jolie portrays the eponymous villainess in the venture, donning horns and fake cheekbones to boot. We can also expect to see Jolie and Pitt’s daughter, Vivienne in a small role as toddler Aurora, who we hear had to be kept away from her mother while she was in her Maleficent getup so the little one wouldn’t get scared, aww!

Another big name we can expect to see in the movie is that of rising talent Elle Fanning, who has previously proved her acting mettle in flicks like Ginger and Rosa and J.J Abram’s Super 8 and will be second lead, portraying the character of the young and spellbound princess Aurora. Imelda Staunton, Miranda Richardson, Juno Temple and even the latest Doctor, Peter Capaldi, feature in supporting roles.

Maleficent shows promise thanks to the big names that appear behind the camera, too. Two-time Oscar winning production designer Robert Stromberg makes his directorial debut with this venture, who has been responsible for blockbusters such as Avatar, Alice In Wonderland and Oz: The Great & Powerful, ensuring breathtaking ominous visuals for the audience. The script, meanwhile, is helmed by Paul Dini and Linda Woolverton, the latter having previously written for Disney for The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. James Newton Howard (The Hunger Games, Blood Diamond) will be contributing the background score. Disney released a haunting rendition of the classic Once Upon A Dream sung by Lana Del Rey alongside a new sneak peak of the film that was shown during the 56th Annual Grammys this year.

The film will explore the untold side of the fairytale, uncovering the truth of the events that led to Maleficent’s descent into evil. Unfamiliar aspects such as a war between the human kingdom and forest kingdom will be seen, while re-imaginings of old favourite scenes will also be included.

Whether or not the movie will take a sympathetic stance for this eminent vixen remains to be seen, but we can’t wait to experience Disney’s sinfully sombre outing.

Cornerhouse Pick of the Week: Rough Cut

Written by Matthew Thomas on . Posted in Film.

“I wanted the Xenomorph, what I got was this giant condom monster”

So went the words of one of the disenchanted prop masters on this often charming and sometimes baffling film-within-a-film. Intended as an affectionate pastiche of 1970’s horror exploitation films, Hiker Meat is the slasher film that never was and Rough Cut is the story of how it was made. Commissioned by Cornerhouse and masterminded by artist/director Jamie Shovelin, writer Mike Harte and composer and previous collaborator Euan Rodger, the Hiker Meat project began life as a lurid film pitch by Harte that Shovelin gave life in 2010 through a Frankenstein-like process of stitching together scenes in a mashup of “over 1000” horror movies from the 70’s and 80’s.

As one would expect from this sort of B-movie silliness, the plot of this hypothetical movie revolves around a group of misfit American youths at the fictional Camp Pharos in California. They party, smoke weed and have sex before being dispatched with extreme prejudice by unseen malevolent forces. So far, so good, but this 90 minute film only yields two completed sequences and a trailer with the majority of its run time devoted to fly-on-the-wall camera work of the actual production intercut with interviews of Rodger and Harte.

Aiming to re-film Shovelin’s original compilation shot-for-shot, the Hiker Meat production team journey to the Lake District, where they contend with adverse weather, carnivorous midges, faulty pyrotechnics, vintage American motors and the aforementioned giant rubber condom (actually a sinister worm monster). It’s in these sequences that the film shows the most charm with the production team candidly commenting on their work with a refreshingly self-awareness and spontaneity absent from most behind the scenes documentaries. Slasher film tropes are lovingly scattered through the film with homages to Sam Raimi and Brian De Palma most apparent. The acting is deliberately hammy and the special effects makeshift and prone to misfires.

Shovelin’s previous collaboration with Euan Rodgers similarly used “archive footage” to create a portrait of Lustfaust, a fictional Krautrock band circa 1970. They are here credited as composers and at one point, Rodger details an imaginary history of the band and where they were “at” at the time of supposed recording. Writer Mike Harte similarly provides backstories for his paper thin characters that never made it to screen showing an endearing affection for the deliberately corny material.

A loving homage to horror exploitation flicks, Rough Cut is likable but lacks any real trajectory. The decision to re-dub the actors in post-production is baffling and Shovelin is notably absent from the on-screen events. Eventually, the film just fizzles out quite suddenly after 90 minutes, fortunately so as I feel any longer in the same vein would lead to boredom. I would recommend Rough Cut as a how-to guide to low budget film making but the lack of purpose could prove a turn-off to some. A Xenomorph this ain’t, but it’s intriguing enough for a casual viewing.

Contrary Corner: ‘Rush’ really grinds my gears

Written by Tom Bruce on . Posted in Film.

Released in September of last year, two-way racing biopic (bi-biopic?) Rush revved its way straight to the top of the UK box office. At first one might assume it owes its undeserved popularity to a bunch of scalextric-playing F1 fanatics, but turns out that regular people like it too, not to mention critics (89% on Rotten Tomatoes, somehow). Worse still, there has been an online uproar in response to the reveal of the 2014 Oscar nominations, a list from which Rush  has apparently been ‘snubbed’… ‘Snubbed’ is a negative word, but how can Rush’s failure to win an Oscar be anything but good?

The legendary F1 rivalry between Niki Lauda and James Hunt – acknowledged to be the sport’s greatest ever – is pared down to a few stern looks and a couple of snide trackside remarks.. Rush is obviously supposed to be sexy, but under the bonnet it’s an exploitative sleaze fest. Laborious dialogue rings false and sexism runs rampant like an oil fire on the Nürburgring. In a shamefully misogynist move, Game of Thrones goddess Natalie Dormer is dispensed with as soon as they get the obligatory full frontal shower shot, and in another scene James Hunt seduces a pair of stewardesses with the mere beckoning of a finger. The dog! What is he like?!

During the more dramatic moments, leading lads Daniel Brühl and Chris Hemsworth don’t act, they just mope about. ’James Hunt is an alcoholic stoner? Oh no, he’s upset? Oh look, violins are playing while he sulks, smokes a joint and pours a quadruple whiskey! What a clichéd mess this film really is! Almost as bad as Flight. Not quite, but almost’.

Rush is a film about cars, and for this reason it’s inherently boring; if you’ve seen one car chase, you’ve seen ‘em all, and in this film there aren’t even any guns or hand-shaped grenades (See Death Race: 2000).  No amount of edgy, rain-flecked cinematography is capable of making cars going in circles seem more interesting.

If you want a properly good, gritty, vehicle-based vendetta movie, look no further than 2013 Russian Academy Award submission White Tiger.  Not only is it about WWII tanks – and thus automatically superior to Rush – but at one point a lead character suffers 90% burns and survives. Rush’s Niki Lauda (played by Daniel Brühl) only received 10% burns, so through the use of simple maths and logic, White Tiger  is nine times better than Rush.  NINE TIMES. Before this,  director Ron Howard had a great track record (Cinderella Man,  Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, to name but a few) but regrettably, Rush  is a 200 mph flop of a film.

Philip Seymour Hoffman: The Master (1967-2014)

Written by Angus Harrison on . Posted in Film.

It was approaching half past six on Sunday evening when my best friend text me “Phillip Seymour Hoffman found dead according to Wall Street Journal”. I always remember these texts. I remember the “Jacko dead!” text from my Aunty Lizzie five years ago and I remember the “Tony Soprano has died” text my brother sent me last October. Discovering death through text is unnatural and deeply incongruous – packing such dreadful meaning into a pocket of data, stripping the event down to the names and dates. Yet the news of Hoffman’s passing had an added effect I hadn’t encountered before. Complete disbelief. Even as the news reports multiplied and the details of his heroin overdose fell into narrative alignment, I struggled to imagine it.

I wasn’t alone, the collective response to Hoffman’s death seems to have been one of sudden disquiet, a communal reaction that transcended ‘shock’ into a sense of genuine injustice. Granted the main reason for this reaction was probably the circumstances of his death, as he was described in many reports as being found with a hypodermic needle still in his arm. Yet I’d argue it is more than that. It was his stature. In every single one of his performances, be it Brandt in The Big Lebowski or the titular lead in Capote, he was so assured and so completely in command. It is hard to imagine that a human being so masterful and adept at performance was suffering or vulnerable at all.

Reflecting on his passing there were two performances that came to mind. Firstly, and most obviously in control, was his turn as Lancaster Dodd in The Master. It is a sure and excellent film altogether, yet Hoffman’s performance is the one that centres it and drives it – giving both the viewer and Joaquin Phoenix’s Freddie Quell an emotional focal point. One scene resounds above many others, as the leader of cultish quasi-religion ‘The Cause’ Dodd comes under a grilling from a sceptic. Through a fracturing facade of calm Dodd responds “If you already know the answers to your questions then why ask…” before erupting “PIG FUCK” shortly and sharply. The Master, Lancaster Dodd barely shows any anger again in the entire film, it is a splinter of moment in which Hoffman was able to incorporate swathes of brilliant anger and shadows of vulnerability.

The second film that came to mind was Charlie Kaufman’s directorial debut, Synechdoche, New York. It is a sprawling and reflective film in which Hoffman plays the lead Caden Cotard – a theatre director given an unlimited ‘genius grant’ with which he sets about building a scaled metropolis inside a warehouse. Gradually the theatre of reality grows and before long it is a microcosm of real-time life being improvised 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For me the effectiveness is how Hoffman manages to take Kaufman’s surreal Jungian epic and provide a relatable and completely human performance. It is a film that qualifies Hoffman’s unique ability to play unknowable characters in such a way that, despite their idiosyncrasies and quirks, draw you in and allow a connection. Trawling through YouTube clips of his performances, as I did on Sunday night, I was faced with the now most painfully poignant scene in the whole film. “I will be dying and so will you, and so will everyone here. That’s what I want to explore. We’re all hurtling towards death, yet here we are for the moment, alive. Each of us knowing we’re going to die, each of us secretly believing we won’t.”

Review: Dallas Buyers Club

Written by Robbie Davidson on . Posted in Film.

When Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) is asked to stay in hospital when it looks like his HIV treatment may not be working, he promptly walks out the door, stating “I prefer to die with my boots on”. And so encompasses the Texan outlaw in his crusade to save himself from the crippling AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. But like all great antiheroes he soon finds himself transforming the lives of others in the process.

But director Jean-Marc Vallée makes sure that our antihero’s true character is not diluted by his new circumstances. Certainly not. Within the first ten minutes the ‘anti’ in McConaughey’s antihero are laid bare, as he is shows to be a thoroughly unlikable homophobic, racist, chauvinist Southern hick. So when diagnosed as HIV-positive, his pursuit to learn more about the AIDS virus is as much as about reasserting his lost masculinity to the ‘gay disease’, as it is about finding a cure.

Which makes his partnership with transgender woman, Rayon, (Jared Leto) selling illegal drugs he’s smuggled from around the world, all the more unlikely and emotionally rewarding. As Ron becomes further integrated into the community of Dallas’ outcasts- the willing members of the Dallas Buyers Club- his friendship with Rayon grows closer, whilst never drifting into sentimentality. The restraint on the part of the film makers pays off when the tragic results of the AIDS death sentence take their toll.

Much has been made of the physical transformation of both McConaughey and Leto- and it is remarkable. McConaughey’s skeletal appearance is particularly haunting, but it is his performance which is truly revelatory. As Woodroof he allows his own personal charm and humour to shine through Ron’s hallowed features, and continues an incredible career resurgence, which could well see him pick up an Oscar next month.

For me it is Leto who carries Dallas Buyers Club’s emotional punch. I haven’t seen an actor inhabit a role so beautifully for years. So much so that in one of the film’s most heartbreaking scenes, when Rayon goes to see his estranged father, there is a genuine feeling of shock and unease at seeing Leto dressed in men’s clothing to please his father. Face bare and pleading for money to help fund his new business venture, her father sighs “God help me”. “He is helping you. I’ve got Aids”, Rayon replies. And in that scene Leto not only earns every award and acclaim he has received, but Dallas Buyers Club captures the dreadful emotional turmoil suffered by those who were ostracised by society and their families simply by virtue of who they were, and because they were sick.

Dallas Buyers Club is a modern day Western disguised as a searing social-issue drama. Or perhaps it’s the other way round. Either way, whilst our hero’s ultimate victory is not as satisfying as fiction would have allowed, his journey there is touching and funny enough that you end up simply grateful that this remarkable true story wasn’t left untold.

★★★★

The ‘Bucks Stocked Here: Union in deal with “tax-dodging” chain

Written by Michael Williams on . Posted in News.

The Students’ Union have been branded “hypocritical” and “disgraceful” after a decision was made to carry Starbucks products in Biko’s Café.

Since last Friday, Starbucks coffee products have replaced Peros coffee in the main Biko’s Café area.

This decision has led to complaints from students regarding Starbucks’ tax-dodging reputation, especially as the decision comes on the Friday before the Union’s ‘Earth Week’ – a series of events including lectures on ‘Global Inequalities’ and ‘Sustainable Living’.

After the Students’ Union announced the change on Facebook, students were quick to draw attention to this irony.

“In your Earthweek video you talk about the need for more responsibility from us in order to survive in the future,” commented student Lloyd Cawthorne.

“How does this act not contradict your goals for next week?”

Starbucks only paid £8.6m in corporation tax in the UK over a 14-year period, and paid £5m last year in its first tax payment since 2009.

Starbucks coffee had been sold at North Campus for over a year, in the Biko’s North Café.  However, following the café’s closure, having been operating at a “significant loss”, the Starbucks on offer was moved to Biko’s Café in the Students’ Union building on Oxford Road.

Students’ Union General Secretary Grace Skelton told The Mancunion that the Exec, “are aware of the claims of tax dodging made against Starbucks”, but said that “as a Union, we do not have a policy in place to boycott them”.

An official statement released by the Students’ Union simply said, “Following the closure of Biko’s North, we have moved our Starbucks products to Bikos and will be serving them alongside our usual menu items.

“Peros coffee will still be available as an alternative, and can be purchased from the Union Bar.

“All products served in the Student Union are Fairtrade and approved by NUS ethical and environmental criteria.”

Students, however, were not convinced by this explanation.

Euan Bonnar, a third year History student, said, “I feel a bit disillusioned, for so long UMSU boycotted Coke as a result of a vote and now the Union has made the decision to sell Starbucks products without consulting its members.

“It seems oxymoronic and doesn’t really contribute to any kind of transparency in the SU. If we had a vote on it and it passed, so be it, but the fact that they’ve taken this decision without asking us is pretty deplorable and not in keeping with the precedent already set.”

Anna Willis, a second year Biology student, also drew attention to the Union’s previous stance on Coca-Cola.

“It’s disgraceful that the Union is selling Starbucks, especially after banning Coca-Cola from 2007-2013 on the grounds of exploitation,” she said.

Last week, The Mancunion reported how a small coffee cooperative formed by graduates from the University were made to attend a hearing against legal professionals from top corporate law firm Evershead, representing the University.

At the hearing, the ‘Coffee Cranks Cooperative’ were prohibited from selling their coffee from a purpose-built cargo bike on campus.

Leeroy Grimshaw, a third year MML French and Spanish student, said, “I’m sure that in Manchester, of all places, the University could have found perhaps a smaller coffeehouse chain to help support a business that would contribute to taxes, rather than have a corporation that doesn’t pay any tax at all and is gaining a monopoly on the high street as it is.”

Speaking last year to The Mancunion, when Biko’s North Café served Starbucks products, director of the Tax Justice Network John Christensen urged the student body to “think very carefully” about their choice of coffee.

He said, “There are alternatives to Starbucks. Do [the student body] want to support companies that are undermining the economy in this country and elsewhere?

“Corporate responsibility begins with paying tax. You cannot run a democracy without tax.”

Clubbers in hospital after ceiling collapses at Factory 251

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

Seven people were taken to hospital after the ceiling collapsed at Factory 251.

Around 850 people were evacuated from the nightclub on Princess Street in the early hours of Friday (Feb 7th) morning after a large piece of plasterboard fell from the ceiling onto the dance floor.

Firefighters, police and ambulance crews arrived at the scene, but it is thought that no one was seriously hurt.

The roof came down on the second floor during Factory’s ‘F//CK Thursday’ night, which boasts “3 floors of Euphoria & Debauchery”.

However, club goers instead found themselves holding up the ceiling in pictures uploaded to social media.

On Twitter, University of Manchester Physiology student @Harry_Pettit_ said: “Dancing around holding a collapsed ceiling above my head, definitely a new experience.”

Another Twitter user, @priest_17 said: “As if a night at Factory wasn’t bad enough.”

In a statement on their Facebook page on Friday, Factory said: “Sincere apologies to anyone caught up in last night’s incident.

“A failed screwhead caused a piece of plasterboard to come loose. After inspection we’ve repaired the plasterboard and are pleased to announce it’s business as usual tonight.

“We welcome thousands of music lovers and clubbers to this historic building, a building we love, every week; your enjoyment is of utmost importance to us”.

Staff member charged with voyeurism

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

A male member of staff has been charged after two women were watched while using a toilet in University of Manchester buildings.

The two incidents happened on 2 December 2013 and 28 January 2014 in women’s toilets on campus.

The man, who works in the House Services team at the University, has been accused of peering over the toilet cubicle from an adjacent cubicle and watching the women.

He has been charged with two accounts of voyeurism, and is due to appear at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on 18th February 2014.

Anyone with information about either incident, or any other incident, is urged to call the police on 0161 856 4223.

MMU students rescued from Welsh mountains

Written by Aidan Gregory on . Posted in News.

A hiking party of seven students from Manchester Metropolitan University had to be rescued from the Cambrian Mountains, after their trip fell into difficulty due to becoming separated.

After covering a distance of 9.3 miles, two of the students became too tired to continue and had to be rescued. Then four others strayed 10 miles as their group leader went to find help.

The whole search lasted 9 hours, and involved around 50 mountain rescuers.

Dave Coombs, incident manager at Brecon Mountain Rescue Team (MRT), said, ‘the weather conditions were atrocious, with gales, sleet and driving rain and too severe for search and rescue helicopters to assist.

“The first two casualties were located using a mobile phone app. One of the two casualties was suffering from hypothermia and needed to be carried by stretcher to waiting vehicles.

“She was treated by the Brecon MRT doctor who said that if she had been on the hillside for another hour, the outcome may have been different. The other casualty was cold but able to walk off with assistance.”

As the first two were rescued, the team leader of the party was found by rescuers in a forest 6km away. Four of the students remained unaccounted for. Graham O’Hanlon, of the Aberdyfi Search and Rescue Team, explained what happened next.

“Other search parties started sweeping this area while the stretcher party was busy with the evacuations. The poor weather conditions meant that helicopter assistance was not available.

“We only had sketchy information on their location and the phone signal in the area was poor, making contact with them virtually impossible. Also they had no torches, whistles or map and compass and were unfamiliar with the terrain.”

“The missing women, two from Spain, and one from Germany and Canada were found at 1:30am by an Aberdyfi search party. They were cold but otherwise in good spirits. They were given warm clothes, walked off the mountain and then reunited with the rest of their group by 3am.

“This is another reminder that people should make sure they are properly equipped and skilled before heading for the mountains.

“If the vagaries of phone coverage had meant SARLOC could not be deployed, then we would have started our search in completely the wrong place, and it is unlikely we would have reached the casualties before the effects of poor weather overtook them,”

Although the expedition was not an official MMU outing, The Mancunion managed to obtain a comment from the university

A spokesman for Manchester Metropolitan University said, “We would like to thank the mountain rescue teams for all of their hard work and efforts in locating the students and bringing them back safely on Saturday evening. We’re pleased they are safe and well

“We have been in contact with the mountain rescue teams to express our sincere gratitude and appreciation for all that they did.”

RedRum “put lives at stake”

Written by Michael Williams on . Posted in News.

Fallowfield student hotspot RedRum has had its license revoked after “putting lives at stake” on multiple occasions.

A catalogue of four serious offences have been recorded against the nightclub, including allegations that a clubgoer was left bleeding and unconscious in front of the entrance as club door staff closed the shutters.

The door staff stand accused of misleading the police and ambulance services about incidents at the club.

RedRum licensee Dr Jajoo employed door staff directly, rather than using an accredited company or registering himself with the Security Industry Authority – despite being warned by the police that this was illegal.

It is also alleged that the club purposely kept the clock on the CCTV footage almost an hour behind, and kept CCTV tapes for half as long as they claimed to, in order to cover-up incidents there.

“This isn’t like bars in Fallowfield where things get a bit rowdy when they’re open late,” said Withington Councillor Chris Paul.

“This is just on a different level. This is people’s lives at stake.”

Dr Jajoo maintains the allegations are “racist” and the product of a “personal vendetta against [him] by the Greater Manchester Police”.

He also claimed that incidents at the venue were not as they were described in police reports.

Speaking to The Mancunion, Councillor Paul called the actions of Dr Jajoo “complete incompetence”.

“If the incidents had gone a little differently, someone could have died,” he said. “And not once did they call the police or an ambulance.”

Supt Wasim Chaudhry, of Greater Manchester Police, told The Mancunion, “There was a successful application to revoke the license due to a history of incidents linked to the RedRum premises.

“We absolutely refute any suggestion of a ‘personal vendetta’ as well as any allegation of racism or impropriety.”

The Mancunion spoke to a female student, who asked not to be named, who was involved in a physical incident at RedRum with a male stranger when it was open.

She spoke of her shock at the allegations.

“Door staff are supposed to protect you on nights out,” she said. “Luckily I was okay after it happened because I had my friends with me, but I’d hate to think what would have happened if I was alone. Would I have just been left outside to bleed? Would they have called an ambulance for me?”

Councillor Kate Chappell, Manchester City Council’s executive member for the environment, echoed the student’s sentiments.

“The committee were very concerned that not only had four violent attacks taken place in or outside the premises over the last year, but that on each occasion it was left to members of the public to contact the police,” she said.

The licence revocation came after a hearing on 30th January were told of four separate serious assaults in RedRum over a nine month period.

A 23-year-old man was attacked inside the club on New Year’s Day and left with a fractured jaw. The door staff are alleged to have thrown out the victim and later claimed that they were unaware of the assault and that it had not taken place.

Police were only made aware of the incident when they were contacted by the victim’s girlfriend after he had been taken to hospital.

Another man was left with a broken jaw, needing stitches and missing a tooth after an incident on the 30th November where he was kicked and punched by a group of men after leaving the nightclub. This incident also went unreported.

In July of last year, another victim suffered a broken jaw, fractured cheekbone and a mouth injury requiring stitches after he was punched to the ground and kicked while on the floor.

This time, the victim’s friend called an ambulance to the incident – but bar and door staff from RedRum later told police they had not seen it.

A 20-year old man celebrating his birthday went for a cigarette outside RedRum on the 10th February 2013 and was punched, banging his head on the floor, which led to a bleed on the brain, a perforated eardrum and a fractured jaw.

This time RedRum licensee Dr Jajoo admitted his door staff should have reported this to both the police and ambulance services, but they failed to do so.

“They thought their reputation would get worse if they called [the police and ambulance] than if they didn’t”, said Councillor Paul.

Dr Jajoo has 21 days to appeal against the decision before the revocation comes into effect, and he told The Mancunion he “of course” plans to appeal.

UCAS applications rise again as gender gap emerges

Written by Aidan Gregory on . Posted in News.

The number of young people applying to go to university has risen for the second year in a row after the slump of 2012/13, due to a surge in applications from women, foreign students, and the poorest areas of the country.

UCAS have disclosed that around 35 per cent of 18-year-olds applied to go to university in autumn 2014, which represents a 4 per cent increase from the previous application cycle.

According to the data, young people from the poorest parts of the UK are now twice as likely to apply to university.

Applications from foreign students also soared by 10 per cent, despite the coalition government’s tougher policy on student visas.

The figures also point towards the emergence of a gender divide in UK higher education, as 146,000 18-year-old women applied compared with just 115,000 men.

Mary Curnock Cook, Chief Executive of UCAS, has warned that this “stubborn gap” between male and female applicants could soon be a bigger problem than the gap between rich and poor.

She said that “young men are becoming a disadvantaged group in terms of going to university and this underperformance needs urgent focus across the education sector.”

In response to the data released by UCAS, Professor Les Ebdon, director of Fair Access to Higher Education, said, “These figures show a continued trend over time, with the application rate for disadvantaged young people increasing every year for the last 10 years. Disadvantaged 18-year-olds are now nearly twice as likely to apply for higher education as their counterparts were 10 years ago.”

He went on further to say that “positive as they undoubtedly are, these figures should not disguise the wide participation gaps between the most and least advantaged. Young people from the most advantaged areas are still two-and-a-half times more likely to apply for higher education than those from areas where participation is low. This gap hinders efforts to increase social mobility and addressing it must remain a priority.”

Overall numbers of students applying are still not at the same levels as they were in 2010 and 11, before the fees hike. Critics have used this to suggest that the new increase does not demonstrate that UK universities are in resurgence.

Sally Hunt, General Secretary of the University and College Union, said, “today’s figures are a real body blow for anyone who does not think higher fees are turning some people away from university. Historical data suggests there should have been a considerable increase in the number of applications this year, but that simply is not the case.”

University staff walk out over pay dispute

Written by Dan Harold on . Posted in News.

University staff walked out on Thursday in protest at the one percent pay rise offered by employers.

The strike is the latest in the long-running dispute between staff and employers over the proposed pay deal, and is the fifth protest since September.

Around 300 members of the three campus trade unions- Unison, Unite, and the UCU- joined picket lines on Oxford Road as part of a national day of action that saw strikes take place across the country.

The unions – who represent academic staff, support staff and postgraduates who teach- say that the offer would represent the fourth year in a row that university staff have been given below inflation pay rises.

Andy Cunningham, Unison Assistant Branch Secretary at MMU and former Campaigns Officer at UMSU, told the Mancunion, ‘the short term issue is around pay, we’ve had a 13 per cent pay cut in the last four years.

“What it means is everybody, from cleaners all the way up to fairly high-paid technicians, is finding it hard to make ends meet – as prices go up and wages stagnate.

“So, this year they’ve offered us another pay cut and they’re justifying it on the basis that we have to make changes and things like that, but the sector is really rich, universities are richer than they’ve ever been before and that money at the moment is going to fill the pockets of vice-chancellors and senior managers.”

Commenting on the length of the dispute, Mr Cunningham warned that while student support for the unions appeared to be growing, there was a continuing risk to student’s education.

“I think [the employers] felt like it would be over by Christmas. Today shows that it’s not, and if anything student support today has grown massively.

“So, I’m hoping today puts a bit of pressure on them to bring a pay increase back to the table, otherwise it is going to be further disruption, that means staff losing money, students losing out on their education, all so they can protect their privileges.”

Current UMSU Campaigns Officer, Clifford Fleming, said that the protest was about “us students standing in solidarity with staff and saying that us as students recognise that staff need good pay.

“Students are coming here expecting obviously a good standard of teaching, they are wanting a good quality education, but the staff are being asked to do more and more and more for less and less and less.

“And it’s not like the University don’t have the money to pay for it, they’ve got like £36 million in profit and they’re spending £1 billion on capital investment, that’s a hell of a lot of money and they aren’t willing to pay staff.”

In response to these allegations a University spokesman said, “The University is a charity, so it does not make any profit. Any surplus is put back into the University, for example into things like scholarships.”

Rosie Dammers, UMSU Education Officer, said, “I think the University should stand up for what is right – to pay their staff a decent wage. I think it is absolutely disgusting that we don’t pay our staff properly, there’s still staff in this university on minimum wage – we need to make sure, first of all, that we are paying everyone a living wage, secondly we need to think about what we value and we value education.”

However, the Universities and Colleges Employers Association said it was clear that the strikes were having a minimal impact on education and that support was “visibly dwindling”.

A spokesperson for UCEA said the institutions it represents “would like see trade unions turn their attention to constructive negotiations for this year’s pay, which begin next month. All HE institutions are consistently clear that there is no scope for further pay increases beyond those already paid last year, and all are united in their commitment to protect students’ education.”

While negotiations for the pay offer for the next academic year are due to begin next month the UCU have plans for further strike action.

Commenting on student support for any further strike action, Ella Milburn, a Spanish and Japanese student, told The Mancunion, “I spoke to a lot of students who: A. weren’t interested; or B. who said they were interested and then haven’t come.

“If everybody who was even slightly interested came for like half an hour it would make such a big difference, there would be fuck loads of people here. Because loads of people do actually care when you speak to them, and I think more people would start to care if you actually explained it to them.”