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Month: March 2015

Live: All We Are

09/03/2015

Deaf Institute

6.5/10

Literally out of nothingness, from the stage door of not only the Deaf Institute but seemingly the entire musical world, All We Are step into the light, immediately greeting the Deaf Institute’s surprisingly full dance hall with some seriously skilled harmonies. It’s also immediate that All We Are are on form, most likely helped along by the flattering structure of their tracks but signalled by the odd mess about here and there.

Early on, the band jump into their soundcloud-dwelling cover of Caribou’s ‘Can’t do Without You’. It’s minimal, super tight and damn rhythmic, making me wonder whether if, one day, bands like this could hold slots in between DJs. As long as there’s versatility, which there definitely is here, it’s only a matter of time until acts like All We Are and Caribou start climbing bills in some interesting settings.

As much as they flex themselves to cover all sonic bases however, All We Are’s set sounds pretty safe; they play around but never stray too far from their falsetto-laden path. Nevertheless, the whole thing never lulls too heavily and even the unheard songs from their debut have the crowd jiving. In-fact, the set’s pace is quite interesting, as tempo and mood swings are brought about within songs, not between. Whether that’s a consequence of playing only one album’s worth of music I’m not sure, but it certainly works.

All We Are’s encore, unlike so many pointless others, in fact presents a perfect break after fan-fave ‘Keep Me Alive’ to set up for the slowly building and more methodical finale ending in a final jam. Give All We Are some time to settle into their gigging shoes and maybe some more writing activities and prepare for some serious festival contenders.

Interview: Fightstar

Sniggering aside, Fightstar have had quite the journey: From the inevitably shakey post-Busted beginnings to the mature and composed album Be Human—you could even say Fightstar have moved from strength to strength.

“We’re planning on playing some festivals this summer,” says Alex Westaway, “and we should have a single by summer.” After an ample hiatus, the band seem keen to get straight back into the fray, with a slot booked for Download festival as well as an impromptu UK tour which saw them headline Manchester Academy 1. “Well we’re writing plenty of new stuff between now and the festival period—we always try and evolve every record so who knows what it could sound like.” Furthermore, Alex points out their aims to “pull on the heartstrings”—who could expect any less?

Personally, I feel Fightstar’s main attraction is their inclusion of a more orchestral-type sound, one which builds on the pop influence of Charlie and combines well structured arrangements with orchestras and choirs all whilst retaining the punch. “Hmm, we’re not sure if we’ll use many strings again; we could even add more synths actually. I mean I’ve always been on the less heavy side anyway, more post-rock. This is unlike Dan, who has the heavier background, and Charlie kind of meets in the middle.”

“As for songs, we just kinda pitch it to each other. One of the songs I wrote back in the day, when I was 16, was ‘Amethyst’. I pitched that to Charlie and we wrote a new chorus melody and that’s one of the first songs we wrote. It’s very very simple and I really like that, think we might try and bring some of that back into it—just guitars and vocals. Sometimes I think when you get too complicated, you can miss a little bit of the raw human emotion.” Of course, one couldn’t imagine Fightstar without it. “I mean one of my favourites is probably War Machine—it’s such a tense track, probably because we spent ages arguing whether the lyrics should be ‘I am a war machine’ or ‘I’m not a war machine’. Either way, we managed to sneak ‘I’m not a war machine’ in there at some point.”

With music covering death and rebirth to the apocalypse, the band have always had the grander topics in their sights and, if their individual efforts during the hiatus—Alex and Dan’s Gunship and Charlie’s solo albums—have something to hint towards, it’s something that could be utterly unique and completely new.

24 hours on air

The tragic consequences of the Germanwings flight which this week was crashed into the Alps prompted a mass media outpouring. Within hours of the disaster news desks erupted, filling television screens with breaking information. While the popularity of minute-by-minute news casting, particularly in cases such as this, is undeniable, it has deep flaws.

In this particular example, the time between the initial shock of the crash up until the deciphering of the black box was essentially dead air time. Breaking updates became less and less specific. This continued up until around 4am GMT. At this point, the New York Times released information illuminating the the co-pilot’s involvement and the story was once again blown open.

Where 24 hours of news is deeply flawed is in that in this downtime, a time for consideration of events, they still have airtime to fill. What this type of machine gun newscasting can sometimes promote is irresponsible and overtly ruthless reporting; the type the media should not be proud to perpetuate.

BBC News, for example, interviewed a number of aviation experts following the collision. Each, like Carsten Spohr and Thomas Winklemann (CEOs of Lufthansa and Germanwings, respectively) were grilled on every aspect of the Airbus’s safety. These interviews were unable to provide any clarity, other than explaining the excellent safety record of the planes. There only effect was that they served to promote hysteria regarding the planes’ suitability to fly. In filling the airtime before any more illuminating material became available, the media in fact served to cloud the events further.

As the amount of breaking material slowed further, a former pilot was interviewed at around 5pm. This individual offered even less clarity, instead expressing the incredibly unsympathetic view that no pilot should ever wish to commit suicide like this. Again, rather than offering any information, this interview served to express a knee-jerk demonisation of mental illness rather than providing any explanation as to the chaos.

This is not the first time that the need to fill 24 hours on air has led to insensitive journalism by the BBC. In late February, following the identification of ‘Jihadi John’, a representative of CAGE was asked by Kay Burley how he felt about the beheadings. This incredibly unfair question provoked Cerie Bullivant to respond that, “We should not have to justify our humanity by saying that I am shocked by something as brutal as this.”

Kay Burley, in an attempt to fulfil the criteria of non-stop, up-to-the-minute news, offered up an impossible and ignorant question. The parallel between this and the none stop need for information regarding the Germanwings tragedy, when there simply was none to be found, highlights the weakness in rapid fire news.

While it is vital that we are informed, and that news is rapid, it also has to ensure that it fulfils a responsible role. Arbitrary allusions to the possibility of pilots across Europe being part of an extremist sleeper cell are simply instant regurgitation of hearsay. The media, largely, did not credit such extreme reactions. However, hurling around misinformation, some of which invariably sticks in the public consciousness, only serves to perpetuate fear and confusion.

Consideration and responsibility need to override ruthlessness and knee-jerk reactions. Tracking down the family and friends of the dead offers little in terms of lucidity. Interviewing Bodo Klimpel, mayor of Haltern—home to 16 passengers on the flight—hours after the events contributes very little. This is especially true when he is asked questions, as he was, about his response to the accident itself rather than being asked to give a tribute to the dead. Likewise ‘Everything we know about Andreas Lubitz’ news articles provide forensic analysis of the most innocuous aspects of the individual’s life. For the family of the co-pilot, his history is paraded in the public eye, with its inspection the only aim.

The Daily Mail have run an article following an interview with an unnamed ex-girlfriend of Lubitz. He is said to have woken from nightmares shouting “We’re going down!” insinuated in the article to be a clear allusion to his actions this week. With the difficulties interpreting the effects of mental illness in this case, these kinds of accusations do nothing to debug attitudes to depression. Instead the newspaper have provided a controversial aspect to the story, delving into the co-pilot’s history in order to fill column inches. This can easily be attributed to the fact that publications like The Daily Mail are not forerunners in responsible journalism. But the difference between this and the BBC’s questioning of Klimpel, is not too far a leap.

These stories, again do nothing to illuminate events. Information released by police is of relevance, and is made sure to be relevant by careful consideration. In juxtaposition with this, Bild were publishing information about ‘Lubitz[‘s]… serious relationship crisis with his girlfriend before the disaster and the resulting heartbreak… thought to have led to this,’ just hours after the disaster. Similarly The Daily Mail‘s investigation and the BBC’s desperate attempts to find some reason for the disaster fuel confusion.

This brand of investigative—but speculative—journalism is not how our media should approach disaster. It is devoid of respectability, balance and validation. Public hysteria is not subdued or explained by this type of information being thrown around, rather it is mirrored. This is hysterical journalism. A desperate attempt to throw information into a void of uncertainty in order to fill time and space.

In a recent interview, editor of Private Eye Ian Hislop was asked whether he considered his magazine to be relevant, publishing every two weeks, in the world of 24 hour news. His response was that in a world of instantly regurgitated information, the considered angle of his magazine was a breath of fresh air. This is true, but is also indicative of how news needs to be run.

Speed is increasingly becoming of the essence. News broadcasts every two weeks would, obviously, be totally redundant. We want to know everything we can immediately. However, too often, 24-hour news doesn’t contribute what we are looking for.

Two hours of news is stretched over four hours of television, or alternately ruthlessness too often rules in order to provide material for the conveyor belt. This isn’t a promotion of balance or of thought, it is a promotion of irresponsibility and, at its worst, hysteria.

That is not what our media should be providing. So often in circumstances of tragedy we turn to the media for clarity. Considered, informative and validated information is what the media should look to provide, and too often this is incompatible with the culture of 24-hour news.

Review: Suite Française

Despite boasting a talented cast the big screen adaptation of Irène Némirovsky’s bestseller falls rather flat. The story of how the book came to be is unfortunately more fascinating than what was presented onscreen. Némirovsky, a Ukrainian-Jewish writer, had started to write a five-part wartime love saga in 1940, but was captured and died in Auschwitz in 1942. Her daughters discovered the first two self-contained novellas of this story in the 1990s and released them in 2004 to widespread acclaim.

The story is set in the small French town of Bussy and centres on Lucile (played by Michelle Williams) who lives with her disdainful mother-in-law, Madame Angellier (Kristin Scott Thomas) while Lucile’s husband (through an arranged marriage) is in the army. As the Madame scornfully collects rent we are introduced to a number of other characters including Margot Robbie’s Celine and the Labaries, played by Ruth Wilson and Sam Riley. As the Nazis sweep across France refugees from Paris arrive in the village, followed shortly by the Germans themselves. As the conquerors, the Germans take temporary lodgings in the conquered town, which will inevitably lead to a lot of unease. The Angelliers’ house becomes home to the handsome and sensitive Bruno van Falk (Matthias Schoenaerts). Lucile is drawn to Bruno’s unfinished piano composition (namely the titular ‘Suite Française’) and as the poster suggests, the pair’s shared love of music may lead to a bit more.

There are aspects of this film to admire, foremost of which is the socio-political dimension of the story. The changing dynamic between the landed gentry and their tenants, as well as the effect of the occupation upon the situation, is handled with intelligence and complexity. Characters who initially appeared almost like two-dimensional caricatures gain real complexity very quickly. Some of the supporting cast does impress, in particular the aforementioned Labaries, as well as the Viscount and Viscountess who share arguably the most touching scene in the entire movie. Furthermore, as with director Saul Dibb’s last period piece, The Duchess, the production design is beautiful and is complimented by Alexandre Desplat’s score (although arguably it does occasionally drift into overly sentimental territory).

The problem is that the film’s essential focus is this romance which is woefully short of any chemistry. Whilst this can partially be blamed on some clunky dialogue, it must also be said that neither Williams nor Schoenaerts are anywhere near their best. As a result a large proportion of the movie fails to amount to much more than a wartime soap-opera with the audience neither believing nor investing in the couple. The film is also not helped by a horribly unnecessary use of voice-over, through which Lucile spells out to the audience thoughts and observations which are blindingly obvious. The ending is also rather abrupt, although given the unfinished nature of the work that is to be expected.

Overall, there are undoubtedly some positives to garner from watching Suite Francaise and arguably those in search of a romantic trip to the cinema could do far worse (Fifty Shades is still playing) but on the whole the film left me unsatisfied and disappointed.

2/5

TV Binge: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

The success of Netflix’s newest addition to their portfolio of hugely hyped shows comes as a bit of a surprise, after they bargained it from US channel NBC, where Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt wasn’t deemed a promising candidate in the run for viewing figures. Then again the names behind the sitcom should have been reason enough to believe in it. Created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, who previously worked together on 30 Rock, Kimmy comes with a substantial amount of VIP backing (and an unbelievably catchy theme tune!).

Abducted by a narcissist priest under the pretence of the emerging apocalypse, Kimmy and her three fellow ‘mole-women’ spent 15 years in an atomic bunker. Naturally, their final rise onto the surface of the earth is accompanied by extensive media coverage which leads the disturbed women out of rural Inidiana. New York tastes like freedom and Kimmy (played by Ellie Kemper) decides to take her fate to the Big Apple permanently. Equipped with the cultural knowledge of a 15-year old from 1998 and an unbreakable spirit, she sets off on a journey towards a regular life. She soon moves in with Titus Andromedon, a failed Broadway singer who is trying to find his place in the world by assuming the guise of a werewolf or taking lessons in lad-culture to conceal his minority statuses. Other recurring characters include Kimmy’s rich but refreshingly likeable boss Jacqueline, Jacqueline’s spoilt teenage daughter Xanthippe and rich, wannabe-British ‘Daddy’s-boy’ and love interest, Logan.

Kimmy’s enchanting quirkiness is conveyed visually through brave colour choices throughout her wardrobe and aurally through her constant inventiveness, expressed through all sorts of fun neologisms replacing the standard swear word (yes, the only swearing is in the title sequence).

Comparisons to shows like New Girl are warrantable as both series share their en vogue weirdness that makes their characters so amiably annoying. This being said, when New Girl falls victim to its own tendency of getting stuck in the cutesy corner of boy-meets-girl dramatics, Kimmy Schmidt takes it that one step further and ultimately delivers a notably higher level of punch with its lines. The main difference between the two programmes is exactly the importance they assign to the romance aspect of the plot: while New Girl revolves around the on/off relationship of Jess and Nick, Kimmy is more concerned with living. When romance does play a part it remains the subplot to some bigger issue Kimmy has to deal with—finding a job, turning 30 or getting accustomed to the phenomenon that is electronic music. Hence Kimmy isn’t just the cutesy weirdo trying to solve her problems by expressing them in song, she actually gets things done. This leads back to the hint in the theme tune (which I’d really like to give Tina Fey credit for): Females are strong as hell.

The refreshing Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt takes all the familiar stereotypes to a new level by portraying its characters as fully aware of living their cliché, which isn’t only funny but also makes the show a lot cleverer than most of its contestants, regardless of its silliness. Sadly, TV doesn’t seem to assume its audience to be capable of relating to something of quality without the usual taste of schmaltz. Have some faith, damn it!

Club: Transmission Funk presents Truss, Clouds & J Tijn

20th March

Joshua Brooks

8/10

The best techno fucks with your head; tonight Transmission Funk enlist a threesome of djs well versed in this art.

J Tijn was the first to pummel the Joshua Brooks basement, unleashing a barrage of booming kicks and warping minds with tracks such as Run Dust’s ‘Scythe Toon’. The venue was a prime location with the Void system providing the perfect outlet for the cascading torrent of jarring sounds.

Next up, Glaswegian duo Clouds took the baton from Tijn and continued the surge of relentless beats. The chopped vocals and crashing percussion of Demdike Stare’s ‘Patchwork’ had the whole room moving, whilst the hammering intensity of Mumdance & Logos collaboration ‘Move Your Body’ was a set high point.

Final act Truss then stepped up to spin the set of the night. Opting for ‘Bottom Out’ by his brother Tessela early on set the tone for his selections that transformed the basement into a sweat pit of moving bodies throughout. Closing on ‘Ganja Madness (Backdraft remix)’ was an especially chaotic ending to the night with the breakbeats pounding as the lights came on.

This fine curation of three complementary djs by Transmission Funk ensured the night was high in energy from start to finish. If you’re looking for a techno fix in future, look no further.

Live: This Is The Kit

The Deaf Institute

5th March

9/10

This is the Kit delivered an intimate, friendly performance showing off their new (so new, it’s not even out yet) album, Bashed Out. After the crowd is suitably warmed up by Rozi Plain (whose band, confusingly, are This is the Kit on slightly different instruments), Kate Stables and her band take the stage to play their own gentle brand of folk rock. Largely a showcase for next month’s Bashed Out, Stables and co. shine throughout, with relatively traditional folk sounds combined with huge, shimmering lead guitar that brings to mind Belle and Sebastian at their most soaring.

The set flies by, with tracks like ‘Misunderstanding’ and ‘Nits’ drifting by in a beautiful haze, whilst apocalypse song ‘Silver John’ moves into louder, grander territory. The music is consistently excellent, but This is the Kit make the evening a magical one through their intimacy with the crowd—they all head into the audience to start chatting after both Plain’s set and their own, and maintain a light-hearted, warm rapport with the crowd throughout. A couple even get engaged during the set, with a wry request from Stables for a member of the crowd to “turn around please,” it’s clear that tour dates with The National have taught the band the art of showmanship.

If there is any criticism, it’s only that the songs all have a largely similar mood, with the tempo only really rising in a couple of songs. But the rarity of the explosions of sound perhaps only make them even more cathartic, and the steady haze the sound tends to stay in is a gorgeous one—a steady, drifting fog that slowly envelops the audience and carries them through Stables’ delicate musings. As the crowd is finally pulled from its reverie after the fan requested first single, ‘Two Wooden Spoons’, it’s clear that This is the Kit have something very special indeed.

From Freshers’ to fashion week

Looking back at old photographs from Freshers’ Week in my first year, I am relieved to say that my style has taken a huge turn for the better. Jeans that were so bleached that they were almost transparent, 30 or more floral pieces spilling out of my wardrobe, and bum shorts upon bum shorts upon bum shorts. Even my hairstyle was something to be ashamed of, wearing a doughnut-style bun smack-bam in the middle of my head… because that definitely looks like a natural messy bun, doesn’t it!? Only 18 months later, I can declare that my fashion sense has evolved. The reason? Being a student in Manchester.

In first year, I was provided with a very generous student loan, meaning that I couldn’t just ‘pop into town’—every outing was a fully blown shopping extravaganza. With a big lump sum in my bank account, no thought went into the clothes that I was buying; everything was an impulse purchase. This made my style a mish mash of everything, and I owned no staple pieces that I could wear timelessly. A year and a half later, my student loan barely covers my rent, but my wardrobe has thankfully improved. Who would have guessed it? Being a stingy student has done my fashion sense a world of good, having to think everything through before heading over to the till. Do you really need yet another floral top? No Kassi, you definitely don’t. Thankfully, I am one of the lucky ones with a part-time job, which makes a treat every now and then that little bit easer. And who can forget student discount? That’ll be the absolute worst part of graduating next year!

As somebody who doesn’t drink, or go out often, I can save a little money that would otherwise spent on alcohol and going out clothes. The majority of my friends, however, have drawers full of special outfits destined only to be seen by the inside of a club. At least two of my flatmates in first year had an entire box full of fancy dress outfits—everything from Where’s Wally to a tribal warrior. In the adult world, away from university, who would possibly need such a vast collection of costumes? Walk through Fallowfield after 9pm painted blue from head to toe, and everyone will just assume that you’re dressed as a smurf or an avatar. Walk through Fallowfield at any time of the day in your pyjamas, and no judgmental looks will be headed your way. Students can get away with wearing practically anything… so take advantage of it whilst you still can!

Flare, there, everywhere

Flick through Vogue first thing in the morning and you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d been transported back to 1973 à la Life on Mars. And in a fashion sense, you have! Wander into Topshop and prepare to be hit by a tidal wave of suede skirts, peasant tops and chunky platforms jostling for space among ethnic pendants and wide brimmed hats. “But we’ve seen these guys before,” you say, “they’re old friends.” Well now there’s something more notable on the fashion radar. That’s right, love ‘em or hate ‘em, flares are back in town.

Personally, I’m delighted! I have been waiting for this day for a years, suppressing my love of flares whilst the fashion police deemed them criminally unstylish and banished them to the depths of 1999. The thing about flares is that they are just so flattering, no matter what your shape, be it apple, pear or string bean, a pair of flares will give you an enviably slim yet curvy silhouette. What other style could do that for you? Skinny jeans are notoriously unforgiving, peg-legs belong behind a desk, boyfriend jeans can be  a little too butch, mom jeans are just an abomination and even the flare’s little sister, the bootcut, is still stuck in the early noughties, covered in embroidery and diamantes.

But sadly even flares have their downfall—they’re not the most practical or versatile of styles. Whilst skinnies can be teamed with any footwear, flares can only ever be worn with heels unless you wish to look footless or get end up with soggy, frayed hems covered in Manchester’s speciality mud. I’d also recommend keeping the rest of your outfit fairly modern; stay away from patterned shirts, matching jackets and sweater-vests unless Donny Osmond is your style idol. If he is, it’s time to take a long, hard look at yourself in the mirror and think about what you’ve done.

Feature: The American Dreamer

“Hell, if somethin’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.” This is an incontrovertible mantra, and one which was espoused by father of modern journalism Dr. Hunter S. Thompson on many occasions, not just in his writing career but in his daily practitionings as an avid consumer of drugs and carefree inventor of semi-plausible-sounding words (such as the one back there I just made up). Hunter Stockton Thompson did not lead an ‘Ordinary Life’, as the titles of his many lurid confessional travel books (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Generation of Swine) might suggest, and his death was no subtle affair either; having blown his brains out with a 44. Magnum in front of his beloved portable IBM Scelectric typewriter, his incinerated remains were fired from a cast iron 18th century cannon and out into the Coloradan mountains by actor Johnny Depp.

It was that same scoundrel of the seven screens that portrayed the Good Doctor in the most successful feature film to depict him on screen, Terry Gilliam’s adaptation of the aforementioned Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which became the best cult movie about druggies since Easy Rider. It’s probably better in fact, given the decades of separation between the central issues of the Vietnam war and the wildly irrational war against drugs which, after enough time had passed, seemed so chaotically, pitifully futile.

Depp’s shameless showcasing of every single possible stage of depraved, narcotic-dependent madness is masterful—one cannot tire of it. In fact, the only thing he missed out was the constant indulgence in egotistical mania that came with Thompson’s genius storytelling, perhaps the man’s only vice (after chain-smoking, bourbon, rum, cannabis, cocaine and LSD). Benicio Del Toro’s performance as Raoul Duke’s (this was one of Thompson’s many real life code names) bloated, homicidal lawyer Dr. Gonzo is even more memorable and indeed more quotable than Depp’s. What many don’t know is that the character was based on a friend of Thompson’s called Oscar Zeta Acosta, a free-living attorney who went missing at some point during the summer of 1974. Subsequently, he became the fall guy for all of Thompson’s law breaking misdeeds.

On to The Rum Diary, another film adaptation about Hunter S Thompson’s life based off of one of another one of his vaguely autobiographical novellas which also happens to star Johnny Depp as the Gonzfather. This film sucks the life out of all that was good and (more or less) true about Hunter’s first foray into fictional writing. It is soulless. It is unfunny. It also doesn’t benefit from cameos or on-set contributions provided by Hunter on Fear and Loathing. Thompson had killed himself by this point and ship captain Bruce Robinson, in his attempt to rekindle the Gonzo spirit and also relive his own heady days as the writer/director of Withnail and I, failed to raise a glass to the legend or a smile amongst the audience. Johnny Depp is also terrible. Not quite as bad as Depp in the Rum Diary but nowhere near as good as Depp in Fear and Loathing is Bill Murray, who took on an exaggerated looney toon version of the author in Where the Buffalo Roam, which was the first movie about Thompson and which was set during his decade-long stint as a grapefruit addict/investigative journalist for Rolling Stone magazine. It’s an awfully overstated film, but then again, so was the life of its subject.

For fans of the non-fictional figure, it’s worth checking out ‘Fear and Loathing in Gonzovision’ on YouTube, an intriguing—and rather sobering—on the road BBC documentary following a reclusive Thompson towards the end of his writing prime.

Hunter S. Thompson saw many things, and through his writing he encouraged an entire generation to see things differently. Politics, war, terrorism, sport and drugs were his main interests, and as he rose to the pinnacle of his very own revolutionary brand of ‘Gonzo’ journalism (basically what the Vice news network is), he stammered and hammered his way into a variety of elitist circles that no other booze-crazed sex fiend will ever find themselves in again. He got beaten up by Mohammed Ali one time. If that incident isn’t deserving of a film then, really, what is? Now all Thompson requires for a proper send-off is a two hour, off-the-chain biopic starring Sam Rockwell (the Rum Diary days) and J.K. Simmons (the later years). Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. And written by Charlie Kaufman. Because hell, if something’s worth doing…

Breaking the tumour-sphere: Graphene shows anti-cancer properties

The world’s thinnest material, graphene, discovered by two University of Manchester physicists, has been shown to be effective against the growth of cancer stem cells (CSCs).

This was demonstrated by a team of researchers led by Prof. Michael Lisanti and Dr. Aravind Vijayaraghavan at the Manchester Centre for Cellular Metabolism, a group in the university’s Institute of Cancer Sciences.

Graphene oxide, a derivative of graphene, was originally known to have biomedical applications due to the non-toxic nature of graphene and its ability to work at a cellular level.

Dr Vijayaraghavan said: “Graphene oxide is stable in water and has shown potential in biomedical applications. It can readily enter or attach to the surface of cells, making it a candidate for targeted drug delivery.

“In this work, surprisingly, it’s the graphene oxide itself that has been shown to be an effective anti-cancer drug.”

More amazingly, whilst being completely harmless to other cells in the body, the molecule itself shows anti-cancer properties. Nano-flakes of graphene prevent CSCs forming clusters of cancerous cells, known as the tumour-sphere.

CSCs are incredibly difficult to target as current treatments, such as radiotherapy or chemotherapy, only kill the ‘bulk’ cancer cells, leaving the cancer stem cells unaffected. These cancer stem cells are responsible for metastasis, the spreading of cancer within the body, which accounts for 90 per cent of cancer mortalities.

Graphene oxide has shown that it could be used effectively to prevent tumours of CSCs growing in the body without any detrimental effects to other cells.

Furthermore, varieties of graphene oxide formulations tested against six different cancer types showed promising results. The nano-flakes showed effective inhibitive results on breast, pancreatic, lung, brain, ovarian and prostate cancer.

This suggests it could be effective against many other types of cancer, if not all. The magic of the graphene oxide nano-flakes lies in their ability to block processes that occur at the surface of the cells, the cell membrane. The researchers have suggested that an overall better clinical outcome may be delivered if graphene were to be used with the existing cancer treatments.

At this stage, further clinical trials and tests must be done in order to implement this as a medical treatment. It’s a long way to the cure for cancer but this may have been a crucial step forward.

Charlie Hebdo cover revealed at debate on campus

The special edition of French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo which depicts the prophet Muhammad on the cover was put on display during a debate organized by the Free Speech and Secular Society (FSS) in the Zochonis Building on Wednesday 18th March.

Students’ Union Executive members participated in the event but were unable to stop a guest speaker from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) from showing the paper to the public. In February, the Students’ Union had forbade the public display of that particular edition of Charlie Hebdo inside the Union building.

Chris Moos, who founded the Atheists society at the LSE, brandished the newspaper with the controversial depiction of the prophet on the cover during the event last Wednesday. He then said: “This is Charlie Hebdo. This is the cover that was covered up. Let’s just think about that. What on earth is offensive in this image? I really would like to know. Can anyone give me a good answer?”

Tension built up in the main lecture room of the Zochonis Building as panelists and members of the public alike joined a debate that was running smoothly and quietly until then.

Charlotte Cook, General Secretary of the Students’ Union, said: “I am mildly frustrated by the exposure of the image. Because this Union had an understanding and this university had an understanding that we came to with our members about how we would exhibit that image to our students. And that has been disrespected in this space from an external member who was well aware and informed of those processes and those discussions.”

Chris Moos claims he was not informed of the fact that he was not welcome to display the image at the event and the FSS have confirmed that they were unaware of Moos’ intention to show the image. The Mancunion can confirm that there was also no briefing with the Students’ Union before the debate about what could or could not be done.

The debate was titled ‘Please Don’t Shoot: Is Free Speech Dead on Campus?’ and was described on its Facebook page as “A panel discussion on campus censorship.” Following opening remarks by the guest speakers, an expanded Q&A session took place, with panelists taking questions from the audience and from Twitter users.

Speaking to The Mancunion, Leonardo Carella, member of the FSS, said: “We did not put any limits to the discussion. The main topics were censorship on campus and the safe space policy, so I would assume they [the Students’ Union] knew the Charlie Hebdo controversy would have turned up.”

Charlie Hebdo is a French satirical newspaper which is known for being a secular publication featuring cartoons, reports and jokes which deal with a broad range of topics. The newspaper’s offices were the target of a terrorist attack led by Muslim extremists in January 2015 which led to the death of 12 people. Following the attack, the workers who survived put together a limited-release edition of the newspaper, which paid a tribute to those who were killed and which featured a cartoon of the prophet Muhammad on the cover stating “everything is forgiven.”

As was reported by The Mancunion in February, the Students’ Union censored the exhibition of Charlie Hebdo to students at the Refreshers’ Fair, after the Free Speech and Secular Society informed the Union that it was going to have a copy of the paper on its stand for students who wished to see this historical edition. The Union said that the image could be made available to those who asked for it, though the open presence of the publication would be banned. The occurrence at the debate last Wednesday defied the embargo.

In the audience were about thirty students, which included Conor McGurran (Campaigns and Citizenship Officer), Tessy Maritim (Diversity Officer), and Natasha Brooks (recently elected Diversity Officer for the 2015/16 academic year).

Conor McGurran was the first person to respond to Moos’ provocative remarks. He said: “You want an answer? [to “What on earth is offensive in this image?”] That event was designed as an orientation fair for people who were coming to the university largely for the first time, often to the country for the first time. Whilst you may argue that the image isn’t offensive to you, it may be to some, and allowing people who want to access it whilst arguing that if you don’t want to access you don’t have to access it—I don’t see how in any way that is containing free speech, that is allowing people to make an informed choice rather than positioning something upon someone on their first entry to the University of Manchester.”

Other members of the public also put forward their views. John Beswick, a student at the University of Manchester, said: “Suppose I’m a vegetarian whose vegetarianism is so intrinsic to them that a challenge to my vegetarianism is a challenge to myself. There were people in the middle of the room handing out free slices of peperoni pizza. To be consistent you would have to say that that should be banned.

“Apart from being the elected head of the SU, what makes you think that you are qualified enough to decide whose taking of offense is more important than someone else’s considering that all offense is subjective? You said you would take every step to be inclusive of all opinions. Yet you move from that premise to the censoring of the memorial edition of the Charlie Hebdo cartoon. However your views on the Charlie Hebdo are, you must see that it wasn’t inclusive to secularists and atheists and humanists who wanted to show solidarity with the murdered cartoonists and did not feel included.”

The event was organized in cooperation with Spiked!, an online magazine. Besides Chris Moos and Charlotte Cook, the panel also included Tom Slater (Assistant Editor of Spiked!) and Josh Woolas (NUS delegate and Chair of Manchester Labour Students). Moderating the debate was Edgar Haener, secretary of the FSS.

Top 5: Cinematic stare-fests

5) Zoolander
The one film on this list which openly makes staring its number one theme unsurprisingly stars the role models for anyone in need of staring advice. Their famous invincible stare still stirs the crowds as proven recently on a Valentino runway.

4) The Lord of the Rings
Peter Jackson shows that staring goes particularly well with a hint of epicness. Stares almost come naturally with the stunning scenery and painfully slow speech rate of Middle Earth—so dreamy.

3) The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
The Western has to be number one on the stare chart, as rarely any other genre invests so much time into character close-ups. Also worth a mention is Once Upon a Time in the West, which for obvious reasons (Clint Eastwood) remains runner-up in the ‘best stare of the west’ showdown.

2) Only God Forgives
No list about staring stars would be complete without Ryan Gosling. His pretty face is always a handy distraction from any lack of plot. Nonetheless, entertainment will be guaranteed to anyone who brings a spoon of cereal to the screening…

1) The Twilight Saga (a.k.a. the films that put the star in staring)
Originally planned as sexy stares, looks of lust took an unfortunate turn into pervy peeps in the abyss of vampire franchise. However, (partly thanks to Snow White’s make-up artist) all creepiness quickly turns into repeated acts of cringing. Some genius has edited all the staring scenes together into one YouTube video—it’s nearly half an hour long. That is all.

Live: Neneh Cherry

29th January

Gorilla

6.5/10

When Neneh Cherry first bounces on stage I overhear a nasally manc conversation behind me—”can’t believe I was 17 when she was first out.” A quick peek into my periphery reveals the the source of this voice as one of two guys standing behind with me. “I still would though,” replies his mate, and the two bob their shaved and shriveled old scrotum-like heads up and down with synchronised girly giggles. Time must have taken an unfair share of these ancient ravers’ youth and given it to Neneh Cherry. Even at the grand age of 50 she’s still killing it with the passion and energy of someone truly full of life and love for music.

But tonight’s audience isn’t just the tail end of the Hacienda generation. Having just released a new album, Blank Project, with instrumentals by RocketNumberNine and production by Four Tet, Neneh has no problem drawing a varied crowd. The vast majority of tonight’s set is drawn from the album, with Ben and Tom Page of RocketNumberNine recreating the album’s sound—albeit with a live rawness—with drums and synth. From the sparse drums of opener ‘Across the Water’, Neneh makes it clear the main sound tonight is her voice. Even when she’s not singing, she talks with the audience as if we were all an old friend, explaining to us the stories that her songs are spun from.

As entertaining as the songs off Blank Project are, the crowd surges with waves of nostalgia as Neneh brings up classics like ‘Warrior Stance’ and ‘Man Child’. It’s hard to say if RocketNumberNine’s instrumentation takes away from the moment but it definitely lacks the sheen of the songs they were originally involved with. Either way, the vibes are undeniably positive and its hard not to catch a giant smile from Neneh’s dangerously contagious happiness.

Interview: Public Service Broadcasting

Public Service Broadcasting, a duo who have rejected conventional band techniques to create a musical concept that is entirely their own. Utilising the power of sampling, they have reduced the conventional four-man band of vocals, guitar, bass and drums down to two, with the drums coming from Wigglesworth and the rest from a sample board operated by J. Willgoose, Esq. The ‘vocals’ come from the sample board in the form of snippets of dialogue from old films and public service broadcasts. The instruments (including a welcomed portion of banjo) are all written and recorded by the two musicians but confined to a soundboard when live.

This unusual style was born when front man J. Willgoose reached a point in which he felt he had missed the boat to become a player in the music industry. He had experimented with producing his own music for several years and, from this, drew the idea of sampling old movies. As the concept grew he took to performing his music in pubs, using nothing more than a sampling board. It’s through this that he found Wigglesworth to get onto the drums and the two formed Public Service Broadcasting. The band has been rising up to fame over the past five years, most recently playing their largest show at the O2 Arena in London supporting The Kaiser Chiefs. As Willgoose recalls, “it was good, it’s always an eye opener playing much bigger shows than you’re used to and we’re never going to play the O2 so it was an experience—I think we came across alright. It was really interesting above all.” However, the stage would probably be the only thing that these two acts share with The Kaiser Chiefs, their brand of indie rock juxtaposing Public Service Broadcasting’s original style of futuristic art rock.

The band would also be the first to point out that they differ due to a lack of what they describe as a “charismatic front man.” Instead of relying upon a “Ricky Wilson” up front, revving up the crowd, they use their own unorthodox techniques. Many bands would count this as a loss but Public Service Broadcasting are a band that play to their strengths. Where some bands have frontmen they use visuals and soundboards to create a unique live experience. Rather than talking to the audience Willgoose will instead create messages for the crowd on his soundboard. “It’s a way of turning a weakness, the lack of any onstage charisma, into a strength and do something not very many other people are doing. I’ve never been particularly shy when speaking in terms of when we do radio shows; I don’t try and do that with the samples but live it seems to work really well.”

This unorthodox style doesn’t stop there. During live performances the band will employ matching visuals to the words from their samples and both don 70s style suits and personas. Unsurprisingly J. Willgoose and Wigglesworth aren’t the names on their birth certificates. They are the conception of J. Willgoose contemplating what the visual aesthetic of a band relying on public service broadcasts for samples should be. To Willgoose these broadcasts conjure up images of 70s BBC broadcasters reading the news headlines on tube televisions. The name changes and personas are a further layer added to provide a visual element for the audience to buy into.

Concepts are a key element in this band. Their first EP The War Room (surprisingly) focused on the subject of war. Drawing on the large pool of public broadcast dating from both world wars. The same has given them inspiration for their newly released album The Race for Space (surprisingly) drawing from the space race. The new album samples the same influences that have given the band their individual sound, though they have tried to move away from the krautrock label that has been bestowed upon them. This is due to Willgoose trying to move away from the labels that he sees as being loosely thrown at the band. “You write one song with krautrock influences and everyone starts describing you as a krautrock band.” They have also dropped the famous banjo that perked up their first album. This is done to remove any perception of using such an instrument in a gimmicky way (though don’t worry, it does have one guest appearance on the new album).

Public Service Broadcasting are a refreshing reminder that bands can still come up with exciting and original ideas that sound completely different to anything we’ve heard before. And though they don’t believe that they’ll be up there playing the O2 one day, they are doing something even better—expanding the boundaries of what music can do, altering our perceptions of what music can be. At the very least, they’re worth a listen, just to hear something you have not heard before.

Public Service Broadcasting play HMV Ritz on 29th April

Live: Spectres

28th February

Gullivers

6.5/10

Spectres are hard to place. Their new album, Dying, can’t really be categorized as shoe-gaze, post-punk or noise rock and you’d need a Ouija board to even start interpreting the ghostly onomatopoeic lyrics (handily included in the album’s gatefold). They hail from a small town in north Devon, but they sound like they’re hurling abuse up at us from the seventh level of the inferno.

Listening to Dying may draw a few parallels to Sonic Youth and Swervedriver, but all these preconceptions were blasted aside by the sheer wall of sound confronting the audience at Gullivers on Saturday night. In a time where it’s hard to avoid parody or pastiche, Spectres walk a tight rope over a river of tar-like guitar sludge; this is music that continually skirts the edge of the precipice. Even for the sake of contrast, brief interludes of calmness are still teeth-clenched assaults on tranquillity and comfort. Spectres produce the kind of guitar ululations and aural dysphoria that would make Alistair Crowley feel at home. ‘Sea of Trees’ starts with a brief repetitive Slintesque riff, which combines with krautrock drums and picks up momentum before snowballing into a sea of white noise. Another highlight was ‘Family’ which, although talking about addiction, gives us a fleeting glimpse of beauty before zipping back into sonic bedlam.

The MBV all-out approach isn’t just for the sake of it though. Paradoxically, the experience isn’t without catharsis and you get a sense of the band trying to exorcise some daemons. They aren’t making noise for the sake of noise. The band’s DIY ethic is not unlike Hookworms’s, and their zine publishing, gig and club night promotion and old ex-label all serve to underline their altruistic side.

All comparisons aside, the most help we’re going to get in making sense of Spectres comes from their short Facebook description: “we are loud.”

You Can’t Handle the Truth! – JLaw’s overhyped career

We all know how it goes: A fresh personality appears in a fresh teen saga and through media incubation grows to achieve stardom of ridiculous proportions. Just like so many before her, this is how Jennifer Lawrence became the international superstar she is today. Much like the iPhone 8J or the Samsung Milkyway XI, she is the same old thing sold to us under a new name and ‘tude. What makes me worthy of declaring this? I’m a film critic, this is what I do. Deal with it…

I see Jennifer as the One Direction of the film industry. She rose to global fame through a commercially successful product; Hunger Games equals X-Factor; and then became a heartthrob by resonating with female insecurities; “I won’t starve myself for a role” equals ‘That’s What Makes You Beautiful’. This means that a huge part of her appeal does not lie in her on-screen performances. If you have lived anywhere with access to online ‘news’ you will have caught wind of her ‘hilarious’ interview replies and her ‘I can’t believe she just did that’ attitude at the stuffy Hollywood events. This year she decided to visit a Boston mall instead of attending the Oscars, because she is just that cool. Basically, Jennifer’s charisma lies in her ability to not play by the rules. Just when you thought she’d just meet Jack Nicholson and be all like ‘whatever’, she turns around and, like, totally freaks out, dude!

Let’s talk about the acting for a bit. Miss Lawrence came to prominence in X-Men: First Class, where she portrayed the morally ambivalent character of Mystique. I do not know who’s decision it was to dumb the character down to an insecure attention-seeking teenager, but I will say that Miss Lawrence played the part perfectly. Then the Hunger Gamers saga appeared and she was projected into stardom, where she was even awarded an Academy Award for Silver Linings Playbook. How did nobody see that that was one of the most overrated performances of all time, by the way?! Just because you play a mentally-deranged character doesn’t mean you can recite your lines as if you’ve only read them for the first time two minutes ago.

Anyways, now you know how I feel about Harry Styl… sorry, Jennifer Lawrence. Then again, maybe I am just a cold-hearted cynic. Whatever.

Procrastination by watching TV is good for us!

Many of us students procrastinate by watching our favourite TV soap operas such as EastEnders, Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks. In recent years, these soaps have merged education with entertainment, often taking controversial topics and highlighting the key concerns facing those affected. Because soaps reach a much wider audience than most health media campaigns, their impact can shape public understanding of a range of issues and everyday challenges concerning the general public.

We become engrossed in the storylines involving our favourite characters, and this can have a huge impact on how we perceive forms of illnesses, in particular those concerning mental health. Previously, sufferers have been afraid to speak out about their experiences and seek help. The introduction of such storylines in soaps has opened the door to important discussion and research surrounding mental illness.

In Coronation Street, publican Steve Macdonald is a witty, unassuming and much-loved character. The storyline traces his developing symptoms of depression until he eventually agrees to see his GP and attend counselling. The Coronation Street team were commended for the research they undertook prior to the storyline which led to the excellent portrayal of the illness and its detrimental effects, encouraging sufferers to come forward and seek help. This is echoed in Emmerdale where Belle, following her involvement in a tragic death, shows mental health problems affecting a young teenager.

It is about time people realised the importance of recognising mental health issues in today’s society. The issues don’t mean a person is “crazy” or “violent”–rather it simply means they need guidance and support to overcome the obstacles which are in no way self-inflicted. I am so glad that the media are creating these storylines so individuals aren’t afraid to speak up and gain help. It shows how mental health problems can affect anyone of any age, gender and circumstance, and importantly, highlight that help is available and that sufferers are not alone. I can see how this could become the catalyst for viewers who identify with the problems being played out in ‘Soapland’ and encourage them to seek medical advice in reality.

Other serious health issues which have been covered recently include Emmerdale’s Cain Dingle having a life threatening brain aneurysm, Eastenders’ Carol Jackson’s battle to overcome breast cancer, and a Hollyoaks character coping with being HIV positive. All this is valuable because it reflects our real life challenges, and the influence soaps have on individuals shouldn’t be undermined. In the wake of the Jimmy Saville, Rolf Harris and Gary Glitter sex abuse cases, and with the child grooming scandals from Yorkshire and Greater Manchester fresh in our minds, Emmerdale have featured a powerful storyline of sexual assault.

Alicia is attacked by a troubled 14-year-old schoolboy, Lachlan. She falls asleep following too much birthday champagne, but awakens to find him sexually assaulting her. This is a shocking event given that she has missed the warning signs of his infatuation, but the situation turns darker when she, in turn, is accused of grooming him and is then wrongly labelled a paedophile.

Some people have argued that this storyline is a step too far, and complaints have been made to Ofcom, but I feel that this is an important angle to explore. Just because something is controversial does not mean that soaps should ignore such storylines. Although some may see this as TV companies capitalising on people’s personal struggles and negative experiences, there’s a wider positive effect taking place as people become more educated on issues that matter.

Such controversial issues lead to increased activity on social media as viewers use Twitter or post on Facebook whilst the programme is being aired. I know that talking about issues such as mental health storylines via social media allows viewers to discuss with a wider community issues raised which may be relevant to their own lives, which is the first step to sufferers pursuing help and other individuals understanding their struggle.

It also changes the perception of issues which the viewers may not have had personal experience of and helps remove the stigma attached to certain illnesses. For me, this can only be a good thing.

Some storylines go beyond social media and become hot topics within newspapers and television news programmes. In Coronation Street, terminally ill Hayley Cropper’s decision to end her own life through assisted suicide caused heated debate across the UK. In the end, Hayley did not need assistance to drink the lethal drug, but her actions reignited fierce debate about the ‘right to die’.

Given that Lord Falconer’s Assisted Dying Bill is about to be given its third reading soon, this storyline did much to inform the public. I believe this shows how right soaps are to sensitively highlight such important topics.

Preview: Muse

Wembley Stadium, Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds… Manchester Academy—all in that order. A band who have been at the top of their game for the past 10 years, Muse are unlike any of their peers; unafraid of intimacy, thirsty for crazy.

Playing an exclusive yet explosive tour through truly unique venues across the UK, the band have returned with a tour that has new fans as well as die-hards drooling, proving there’s just as much vigour as there ever was. The set lists have even seen the return of many a rarity and fan favourite, as well as the huge ‘Psycho’ from upcoming album Drones.

“To me, ‘Drones’ are metaphorical psychopaths which enable psychopathic behaviour with no recourse. The world is run by Drones utilizing Drones to turn us all into Drones. This album explores the journey of a human, from their abandonment and loss of hope, to their indoctrination by the system to be a human drone, to their eventual defection from their oppressors” says Bellamy on the new album, reminding us that the affinity for grandness is still very much present.

Unlike many of their stadium/festival headlining peers, Muse have always balanced spectacle and incredible music whilst staying true to their fans—the culmination of this being their relatively intimate show at Manchester Academy this Sunday on the 22nd. The event is set to be a spectacle unlike any the venue has seen, that is, since their appearance way back in 2001.

If anything, this tour is a sign of the times, a confirmation that, at the end of their path to world domination, Muse’s title as ‘best live band in the world today’ is to be firmly maintained.

The first single from the album, ‘Dead Inside’, will debut the week of March 23rd and on June 8th Muse will release their new album Drones.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=2oUZHDdXrgA

Top 5: Films of the Year (2014/15)

5) Interstellar
Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi epic may have been divisive, but enough of our contributors loved it for it to swipe fifth place on our list. Full of powerful performances, stunning visuals and a profoundly intellectual core, it’s certainly one of the more memorable movies in recent years, for better or for worse.

4) Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
This year’s Best Picture winner took fourth place – Alejandro González Iñárritu’s vicious satire of the modern film industry is a wildly experimental and deliriously bizarre picture that charmed our contributors enough to secure a spot on this list, but not enough to be up on the podium.

3) Nightcrawler
In bronze position we have Dan Gilroy’s directorial debut Nightcrawler. Aside from featuring Jake Gyllenhaal’s best performance of his career to date, Nightcrawler is a wild and twisted take on the ‘American Dream gone sinister’ narrative that is destined to be a modern classic.

2) Gone Girl
David Fincher’s dark and eerie parable of modern gender roles takes silver on our list. It would be hard for us to tell you how brilliant it is without dealing out a bucket load of spoilers, so we’ll leave it there for now. Just make damn sure you see it. Many will be surprised that this wasn’t our top pick…

1) Whiplash
The Mancunion’s favourite film of the year by a country mile, though, is Damien Chazelle’s Sundance darling Whiplash. It’s a frightening and energetic tale of obsession and ambition that any aspiring artist of any medium should consider essential viewing.