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Day: 28 February 2015

Reclaim the Night 2015

On Thursday the 26th of February over 2000 students took to the streets of Manchester for the Reclaim the Night 2015 march, making the Manchester march the largest ever Reclaim the Night in the UK.

The march is described by the organisers as a chance to light up the city of Manchester, amplify our collective voices and take to the streets and say ‘No’ to sexual violence against women, street harassment, rape culture and victim blaming.

As stated on the Reclaim the Night Facebook page, recent surveys of young women show that 43 per cent have reported being sexually harassed in a public place in the last 12 months. A 2013 Home Office study showed that one in five women have been sexually assaulted since the age of 16, yet only 15 per cent felt able to report this to the authorities.

In Manchester specifically recent statistics published by Greater Manchester Police have shown that student rapes have increased 100 per cent this academic year in comparison to last year. Further this year numerous incidents have been reported even at student-led events such as the ‘Pangaea: Rumble in the Jungle’ event in September.

The march, which was fronted by a self-identifying women-only block, kickstarted in Owens Park at 7pm and proceeded through the Curry Mile until the student protestors reached the University of Manchester Students’ Union. At the Union Jess Lishak, Womens’ Officer and a key organiser of the event, addressed the crowds and led the protestors in chants against sexual violence.

Protestors donned neon face paints and glow sticks, besides many home-made placards, some of the most powerful of which read statements such as; “my cunt, you cunt,” “even my dog understands no,” and “girls just want to have FUN-damental rights.”

The march received wide publicity and was covered by The Telegraph, Tiger Takes, Fuse FM’s Dead-Beat Joe and later also by Sky news.

In a public statement on the Reclaim the Night 2015 Facebook group, Lishak said: “What an amazing night! Thank you all for coming and making Manchester Reclaim the Night 2015 the biggest (ever) in the UK and too visible to ignore.

“We hope you enjoyed the incredible and empowering evening as much as we did, and see you next year!”

The Mancunion contacted the numerous societies present at the march to ask why Reclaim the Night is so important for many.

 

Monica Dhillon, Communications Officer for the Manchester LGBTQ Society, said:

“The event was incredibly empowering and it was a powerful thing to see so many people marching in solidarity. It’s important at events such as Reclaim the Night to acknowledge the diversity of people who are angry and want change, and that’s why I marched – to make sure my voice as a queer woman was heard. ”

Student protesters marching through the Curry Mile. Photo: The Mancunion.

 

Hannah McCarthy, speaking on behalf of Save our NHS Manchester:

“Reclaim the Night is arguably the most special and subversive night in the University of Manchester calendar. It offers all students the opportunity to reclaim the streets from gendered, sexual and societal discrimination and to voice their solidarity in demanding a society which is free from these injustices.

“Save Our NHS Manchester powerfully marched yesterday evening, reclaiming the night and demanding: ‘No ifs, no buts, no rape crisis cuts!’ We hope to have highlighted the disastrous extent of cuts to services for victims of rape, domestic abuse and sexual violence.

“This slashing of essential services are part of Manchester Council’s £58 Million public sector cuts, which are systematically destroying the lives of some of the most vulnerable in society!”

Photo: The Mancunion

 

Rebecca Rigg, a 3rd Year student and volunteer steward for the event:

“After stewarding my second time with the Reclaim the Night gang, I can honestly say it’s a fantastic experience. I saw some old faces from last year as well as so many new ones.

“You have to be a bit of a bad cop, and try and keep everyone within the cones, but that’s only because people get carried away—which is amazing! We’re just there to ensure everyone’s safe.

“But, that doesn’t mean to say I wasn’t sporting my neon face paint, screaming along with the enthusiastic chants and getting as many passing cars to make some noise as possible!

“We will be heard, and I can’t wait to see how big it becomes next year!”

Protesters outside of the Student Union where the march ended. Photo: The Mancunion

 

A spokesperson for Manchester Labour Students said:

“Liberation has always stood at the heart of our politics, so naturally Reclaim the Night has always been one of our favourite events of the year. However, this year—following all of the high-profile sexual assaults that have taken place—marching for our liberation and in solidarity felt more important than ever.

“There was an incredible atmosphere of unity and support as we marched along, chanting and waving placards. It was also really encouraging to have been joined by such a great number of male allies who understood the importance of Reclaim the Night and who proudly proclaimed, ‘this is what a feminist looks like!’

“We all had an incredible time at Reclaim the Night and look forward to marching together in solidarity for years to come.”

Photo: The Mancunion

 

The charity organisation Nightline also had representatives present at the march. One such representative, Hannah Jewell, stated:

“It was incredible to see so many people at Reclaim the Night, and the feeling on the march was electric. I particularly enjoyed talking to people before the march and hearing all the reasons people were choosing to take a stand.

“It was also really important to me to talk about Nightline to people throughout the night, as Nightline provides through its service a safe space to talk about your feelings and experiences, whether about sexual assault or anything else, as well as information on services relevant to you, or even just a person to talk to if you’re walking alone and want to chat to someone.”

Many male students were also present at the march and showing their support in confronting rape culture. Photo: The Mancunion

 

Manchester Action on Street Health (MASH) were also present at the protest and stated:

“The work of MASH has always been about the safety of women—it is at the heart of what we do—and we were very pleased to see so many people voicing this important issue”.

Photo: The Mancunion

 

The Mancunion editorial team were also present at the march and wish to express the following statement:

The Mancunion were present at Reclaim the Night because we wanted to amplify what we believe to be a fundamental issue, not just for students or women, but people everywhere. We are tired of reporting incidents of students being sexually assaulted or raped on our campus—the one place all students ought to be safe.

“We feel it is our duty to support our Union’s declaration of solidarity with victims everywhere, and add our voice to that of the Union’s.”

Photo: The Mancunion

Welsh boy wears make-up

Make-up is weird. For most women, it’s a essential part of our daily lives; we wake up and put a face on without giving it a second’s thought. But when it comes to boys, make-up is little more than the mysterious substances girls use to magic away their spots and blemishes. In recent years, the use of male beauty products like guyliner and even concealer aimed at men has seen a dramatic increase, yet a full face of slap is still seen as something far too feminine for most members of the opposite sex. When you think of a made-up man, it’s RuPaul who comes to mind, rather than say, Sam Smith, despite the fact that most male stars wear just as much make-up as their female counterparts. In a city like Manchester, where almost anything goes style-wise, we wanted to test the theory that even here, make-up on a man would be met with shock and confusion. After much negotiating and a tiny bit of bullying, we convinced our male lab rat to take to the streets of Fallowfield, foundation and all. His price? A post-night-out Chicken King, on us.

The immaculate conception:

Our first task was to prep our blank canvas. Boys are notorious for giving their skin short shrift, so we ensured our subject was smothered in Nivea Creme before we got started. Base covered, it was time for him to lay the foundations, literally.  Sensitive to his personal space, we let him take the lead with the application process. After even coverage was established, and beard successfully avoided, it was time to give this skinny little Welsh boy a healthy glow. He was surprisingly taken with his new bronzed appearance: “It looks like I’ve been on holiday! This is the closest to a St. Tropez tan I’ll ever get.” But as it was Fallowfield, not the French Riviera, a bit of blusher was required to achieve that rosy-cheeked, in-from-the-cold look.

Photo: The Mancunion

Brows on fleek:

On to eyebrows. We made the startling discovery that left to grow untamed, male eyebrows lack shape, discipline and know no bounds. So, after some skilful shaping and combing we cultivated our subject a killer set of brows. Every self-respecting make-up maven knows the importance of good smoky eye game, so we prepped his lids with a dash of primer and set about shading. Our subject’s complexion required a mix of warm tones. After dabbing on a matte mahogany shade, we highlighted the shimmering bronze pigment. Contouring completed, our subject attempted the obligatory cat-eye flick and finished off with a wave of his mascara wand.

Photo: The Mancunion

Hot lips:

After a few well-placed words of instruction we were extremely impressed with our subject’s flawless lipstick application. As the boldest shade in the make-up bag, red was the obvious choice. “Is it OK to lick my lips?” he asked, worriedly. While adjusting to the strange new sensations, he couldn’t stop gazing at his perfect pout in his compact mirror.

Photo: The Mancunion

It was soon time for our subject to show the world his new self. Destination: Shell garage. On the walk over, he was filled with nervous excitement and despite putting up the hood of his parka, we caught him stealing glances at passers-by to check for their reactions. But before they could pause to take a second look, he scuttled across the garage forecourt and into the shop. Once inside he amused himself with a copy of Women’s Fitness and perused the canned goods aisle. The tempting 2-for-1 offer on mushy peas made him temporarily forget his new look. He finally plucked up the courage to make a purchase, and after his ordeal, only a nice glass (or 5) of Pinot Grigio would do. Shuffling past several confused-looking shoppers, our subject came face to face with an astonished-looking cashier. After spluttering, “got any ID?” it took him an awkward 30 seconds to remember the price of the wine. The make-up couldn’t hide the blood rushing to our subject’s already rouged cheeks.

Operation complete, it was time for our tired subject to return home for a good cleanse, tone and moisturise. Despite his initial protests a niggling part of him can’t help but be intrigued by the perfecting potential of make-up. Maybe he doesn’t want to look just like every other boy after all…

Review: Bad Company

Every February, the University of Manchester Drama Society’s Manchester In-Fringe Theatre Awards (MIFTA) season comes around, bringing exciting potential for new interpretations of existing plays, and debuts of original works written and created by some of the university’s most talented dramatists. As MIFTA audience members of past and present will agree, the extraordinary quality of work produced by members of the society never fails to surprise and amaze. Most recently, Manchester theatre-goers were presented with Tom Mackintosh’s gripping play Bad Company, in the Council Chambers of the Students’ Union. With the debut of this extraordinarily written comic drama, it has become clear that the relentlessly high standards have become an inevitable part of the MIFTA experience, and audiences ought not to be so surprised in future.

For Martin and Helena Cabrera, life plays out each day in the same dreary fashion. Their marriage seemingly decaying around them at the same rate as the slowly crumbling bed and breakfast that they run together, time is pulling them down a miserable slope. It is upon the sudden arrival of three new guests that their dull existence is at once shaken to the core, forcing them to confront issues which have simmered silently and malevolently beneath the surface of their marriage for an agonisingly long time.

Most significantly, the resounding success of Bad Company owes itself to the insightful and witty text. Illuminating the agonies and strains often suffered within adult romantic relationships, Mackintosh revealed an incredibly genuine understanding of married life. Cleverly juxtaposing an overbearing context of dissatisfaction and bitterness with many laugh-out-loud witticisms and one-liners, the audience was provided with a captivating and ‘real’ presentation of a couple’s everyday life.

Bolstering the movingly convincing text was the sensitive physical presentation of the play’s five characters. Supremely well cast, the talent of each actor in Bad Company is undeniable. With particularly resonant performances by Yasmin Al-Khudhairi as the resentful Helena Cabrera, and Tom Roberts as the mysterious and charming Quentin Lovelace, the cast unfalteringly personified their characters with compelling intuition. The precise comic and dramatic timing of delivery by the cast proved key to the general effectiveness of Bad Company. Of course, the overall creative input of director, Rishi Pelham cannot be overlooked in this respect. Having worked to fuse the textual and practical elements of Bad Company, Pelham has achieved a satisfyingly consistent and powerful overall production.

While the MIFTAs provide emerging student writers with an extremely worthwhile opportunity to present their work, it is truly saddening to think that most of these plays are packed away at the end of their run, never to be viewed by an audience again. When it comes to Bad Company, there would be no bigger sin than to bury the script forever. It is a play which deserves to be recognised, and undoubtedly there is much to look forward to in Tom Mackintosh’s future as a playwright.

Club: Sanction @ Sankeys

31st January

Sankeys

7/10

Entering a completely rammed Sankeys, the heat and sweat made a stark change from the cold outisde. The 18 to 30-year-old crowd were happily trapped like sardines.

Kane Law gave the crowd exactly what they wanted. His set featured many of his own bass-heavy house productions. His ‘Bugatti’ Bootleg went down a treat with its industrial synth samples and tech-house structure. The live versions of his tracks definitely stand out with extra vocal effects and samples either being triggered live or mixed in. Signed to Audio Rehab & Warner Chappell this DJ/Producer is one to watch. The focus is definitely on the music, with no MC or complicated lighting distracting him. The calmer and simpler sections of his tracks work well, allowing the crowd time to breathe before that bass comes back in force.

The impression he gave was of someone who has studied his catalogue and practised extensively. He is very smooth: moving from one dark thumping groove to another effortlessly with vocal samples laid over the top help develop the appeal. The best vocal sample of his set was a slowed down male voice: “My old man write me a letter from prison once… he said if you don’t want to end up like me stay away from crime, women and drugs.”

DJ Zinc has been making electronic music since the early 90s. We have him to thank for incredible tracks such as ‘Super Sharp Shooter’ & ‘138 Trek’ which are usually played somewhere in most UK DnB, Jungle, Grime and Garage sets. His set was more ambitious than Kane Law’s incorporating many genres, rhythms and sounds that were expertly beat-matched. His Soundcloud page features twenty one-hour plus mixes titled “trust me I was there” which are a year-by-year guide to what he was listening to.

Yasmin’s set featured bass-heavy house party anthems. Samples from Dead Prez, M.O.P. and Super Mario were not lost on the crowd. Hopefully next time she will play a set longer than an hour.

Despite the slowly-moving queues to every destination—dancefloors, toilet, bar and patio—it was a good night out.

Review: Manchester Beer and Cider Festival 2015

An annual testament to the world’s favourite drink, the Manchester Beer and Cider Festival saw thousands of drinkers descend on the Velodrome in SportCity to sample over 400 brews, get merry, and fall over.

This was by far the most colossal beer festival either of us has attended. Armed with glass and programme, we took a step out onto the stands to admire the drinking floor. The sheer intensity of beer-related movement made what we soon started calling ‘the pit’, a pretty impressive sight. We quickly got into the mix, and slid into the rhythm of filling our halves and retiring to a cosy spot on the concourse. One of the highlights for me was holding an India Pale Ale in one hand and a hotdog in the other, watching cyclists race round the track—a combination we can all relate to. A close runner up was an A-list celebrity encounter with the one and only Chesney from Coronation Street.

There being hundreds of beers there, it was obvious we wouldn’t be able to scratch the surface in terms of trying everything, which is a shame as some really exciting brews were available. However we made a pretty brave attempt, powering through the halves right up until the last barrel aged stout, whilst managing not to get too smashed, which can’t be said to everyone I saw wearing a cone/shark hat. Here is a rundown of a few of the beers we put into our faces.

Port Stout 4.8% – Hanlons Brewery
This beer combines the tangy, rich and fruity red wine flavours from the port with classic, smooth stout character. A taste of this quickly turned into a full pint. We feel like this would be the perfect pie accompaniment.

Rhubeer 4.5% – Celt Experience/Wiper and True
This is one of only three sour beers available at the festival—so it naturally stood out. The aroma is midget gems, with strong forest fruits top notes. This is apparently both brewed and fermented with fresh rhubarb, and there is really no mistaking this. The tart sourness comes through in the end but it’s relatively mild and well balanced. Good stuff.

Peach Melbear 4.4% – Beartown Brewery
This is a bit of a strange one from a brewery in Congleton we are fans of. It has a really light body with fresh and sweet elderflower and peach flavours. The beer is refreshing, almost cordial like, but can’t see myself drinking more than one pint of the stuff.

Belgian Blue 4.9% – Bradfield Brewery
Feel like it might be a little late in the year for a Christmas beer, but there you go. This is an easy drinking best bitter, with berries on top and warming caramel undertones. The head actually is a little bit blue!

What is your course stereotype?

Medicine—There are two kinds of medics: The ones that work super hard and never go out, and the ones who work hard and go out ALL THE TIME. Most of the latter group would not be your first choice of future doctor, but who really cares because they throw the best toga parties.

Politics—Politics students have an opinion about everything and they take it as a personal insult if you don’t vote.

Philosophy—Slightly aloof, they can’t really give you a good reason why they chose to study philosophy or where it will take them in the future, but if Freud comes up in a pub quiz there is no one else you’d rather have by your side.

Physics—Physicists think of themselves as far superior to both Biology (who they think just sit in lectures singing The Bad Touch) and Chemistry (whose degree consists solely of learning the periodic table). They have already seen The Theory of Everything 12 times and The Big Bang Theory is the source of all their comedy.

Pharmacy—For those who weren’t clever enough to do medicine, pharmacy is a scientific alternative that gets you a good job and a stable career. They know too much about medicinal drugs to ever take illegal ones.

Engineering— They know the country needs them and are slightly smug about the fact they’re guaranteed to earn loads of money. They also adore going bowling and discussing how bridges stay up.

History—History students spend the vast amount of free time they have doing essays/socialising in Blue 3, looking down on everyone who doesn’t know how to reference because they were taught it from day one.

Geography—Moving on from the school stereotype of colouring in with crayons, students who study geography at degree level have been given more responsibility and are now allowed to use felt tip pens. They’re not sure what to do with all this power, so avoid university altogether by taking 20 credit holidays to Malta.

Languages—They chose their degree for the year abroad and never shut up about it. You will find them in the language centre watching foreign films and complaining about people who assume they are going to become teachers.

Art History—Made up of blonde girls from the south, they spend their university career trying to assure everyone History of Art is a proper degree.