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Day: 28 October 2015

All-American collegiate style

Written by Sarah Kilcourse on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

Over the summer I was fortunate enough to go to the USA—more specifically I went to Chicago, Illinois. In the Chicago metropolitan area there are 32 different universities, and you’re very much made aware of this. Everywhere you turned, there were people in t-shirts, jumpers, and scarves advertising where exactly they had gone to for college. And this was not just where they had personally been, but there were some very proud moms who did the same except wear merchandise from where their child was currently studying, too. If university-branded clothing was not enough, bumper stickers were also proved to be incredibly popular!

I do admire the variety of college apparel on sale—even big brands like PINK from Victoria’s Secret market a line of college-specific clothes. No matter what your style, you can still show school spirit. This is a far cry from the selection available for University of Manchester students. I would love a cool university sweater or t-shirt for the gym to wear, but I’m not mad on the selection available. I know this is quite picky, but I just wish that the logo was embroidered rather than printed on.

However, it’s probably not that big of deal really, because in Manchester, people seem eager to show off their personal style. And in my opinion, American collegiate clothing is too close to a uniform—and I’ve had enough of wearing uniform from my time at school. With all the great shops in Manchester, it would be a shame not to explore! In fact, it would actually be quite rude not to, really.

I don’t think I would be able to generalise what students wear in Manchester—though I do think that it is very different from an American student. You certainly see an array of styles around campus, and I think that’s part of the fun. We’re all young and it takes time to figure out what you like as well as what you’re comfortable in. Sometimes a purple sweatshirt with ‘The University of Manchester’ printed onto it is exactly what you feel like wearing. And that’s OK.

Photo: UoM Giftshop

SPORTLIGHT: University of Manchester’s Hockey

Written by Toby Webb on . Posted in Sport.

With lots of sport available on the university campus, Spotlight aims to show you the different varieties of sport available and the different levels at which you can play. This week, we take a look at Hockey.

Oak House mixed hockey team’s joint-captain and a 2nd year Chemical Engineer, Fabio Primavera has been talking to the Mancunion Sport about the season ahead.

With one of the most thriving halls teams in the whole university, Oak House play in the first division of Campus Mixed Hockey League – this is different to what you would expect. Sport is often criticised for how it separates the genders and doesn’t give equal footing to all genders, but the mixed leagues that the university offers are open to anyone.

The team itself also contains players of very different abilities, as well as gender, as there are players who have played for the university team before – but those who have also no experience in hockey before, which really highlights how diverse campus sports are.

Despite these mixed abilities, there is still an element of rivalry present in the campus sports game! Primavera reminisces on last season’s big wins over Sheavyn and Ashburne that are still fresh in the mind. He demonstrates that this may be a casual level, but everyone still puts their all into the game; this is evident when he reminisces on a goal he scored last season. “The keeper had no chance!” he reflects on his reverse kick shot thunder-bolting into the top corner of the net.

This season has seen the Oak House team improve immensely, after a difficult season last year meant that the team narrowly avoided relegation, finishing second to bottom of the division. “We had our good days and many more bad days, but we weren’t the worst at least!” describes a cheerful joint-captain.

As expected, he is optimistic about this year. The team has put last season’s disappointment behind them, and a strong recruitment drive has resulted in more quality being added.

Initial performances this season have exceeded expectations. Despite advertising that no skill was required to join, the new crop has demonstrated a natural talent. Despite having only played a handful of games thus far, the cohesion and understanding in the team has improved. A 5-0 win against medics 2 and 3-3 against University Development illustrates the progress the team has made. These 2 teams, as well as University of Manchester Geography, will be their main rivals this season.

Fabio remarks that the atmosphere in the Oak House team is very friendly and relaxed while maintaining a competitive edge; the emphasis being that playing hockey should be an escape from academic stress. Training sessions are light, yet, there is still a fervent desire to win matches. Matches are played on Sunday afternoons at the Armitage sports centre and are traditionally followed by a team social at squirrels. Yearly highlights include the end of season fancy dress tournament and joint events with Oak House rugby.

Despite the season already being in full flow, the team remains open to anyone interested. Fabio was keen to mention that anyone wishing to join will be welcome, regardless of ability and what stage of your degree you are at. Anyone wishing to join should get in touch via Facebook, through the ‘Oak House Mixed Hockey 2015/2016’ group.

However, if a more competitive and professional level is what you are after from your university sport, and then the British University and College Sport Leagues (BUCS) may be for you.

BUCS player Lucy Roberts, a 2nd year Biomed student, has been talking to the Mancunion Sport about playing for the University Women’s Hockey second team in the BUCS.

The level of commitment required for the step above is significantly higher, as it consists of two training sessions a week, alongside weekly fixtures – therefore a much higher standard of hockey is played, and the players improve by playing with one another.  With this increased technicality and skill at the higher level, it offers Lucy an escape from studying, just as a campus league would – but with that little bit more quality.

Last season the team did not challenge for the league but were happy with the season and ready to kick start this year! Particularly tough opposition find themselves against the university this year – in Liverpool John Moore’s and Sheffield Hallam, but positivity is within the ranks as a new crop of first years have brought an even higher level of quality to the team.

The team has played 2 BUCS matches so far, a comfortable home win against Keele (3-1) and an away loss to Bangor (2-0). Lucy commented that the arduous travelling to play away from home is often a detrimental to the team’s chances.

The team will play 10 league matches this year, playing every team home and away, which is obviously a lot more strenuous and time consuming than a campus league – but the team find themselves battling in much more challenging games.

In addition to this, the team are entered into a knock-out cup competition. The team came close to glory last year, reaching the semi-finals of the cup, and hope for another great cup run this year, kick started on the 28th of October, away at northern rivals Leeds. The thrill of a one game shoot-out against other teams gives the team added motivation.

Further to this, the team are involved in the Christie cup, a battle of the redbrick universities across the North-West. It is a yearly round-robin tournament involving the University of Manchester, the University of Leeds and the University of Liverpool. A particular emphasis will be placed on this year’s competition as we are the host team, and can have the whole university behind us to clinch the cup this time round. Lucy predicts that this will be one of the highlights of the season.

It is sure to be a thrilling season for the women’s second team. Anyone wishing to follow the progress of the team can find results and upcoming fixtures on the BUCS website (www.bucs.org.uk), or keep reading the Mancunion SPORT. Home games are played at the Armitage centre on Wednesday afternoons for anyone wanting to see the ladies in action. We wish the team good luck for the season.

International Fashion: sarees

Written by Perisha Kudhail on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

Sarees have played a vital role in Indian fashion since the time of the Moguls and are mostly worn in South Asia. This elegant and traditional item of clothing is the staple of many Indian Women’s wardrobes.

A saree is a long piece of material, which is elaborately draped around the body, and is traditionally worn with a crop blouse. A saree has a lot of potential, since it can be worn in so many different ways. You can get away with wearing the same saree and making it look completely different by the way that you wear it—amazing!

There are three main components to wearing a saree: an underskirt, the saree itself, and your blouse.

The underskirt is worn underneath the saree and the colour of the underskirt should match the colour of your saree. The underskirt ensures that even if you wear a sheer saree, your legs won’t be visible through it and therefore will not ruin the look. In order to fit the underskirt to your waist size, many have either elastic around the waist or a tightening belt.

The blouse piece is also important, since this is the only piece of the saree that is fitted to your size. Feel free to share the saree with family and friends, but the blouse is measured to your bust, so that you can design it just as you like it. One option is to choose a low saree back and experiment with the neck line. A lot of sarees have an accompanying blouse piece with them, that you can get tailored to your size, but don’t feel obligated to use that piece.

The saree itself is the exciting bit! There are so many designs on offer; sometimes it’s impossible to choose just one. Sarees are not only a part of everyday wear for many South Asian Women, but are also worn to more formal events like weddings and parties. The level of extravagance found on a saree is dependent on the occasion for which it is being worn. The pleating of a saree is great because it can be adjusted depending on the height and hip size of a person.

Try wearing a saree to your next occasion for a different angle. Pair with bangles and bindis for the authentic look. There are many shops on Wilmslow road where you can purchase sarees at decent prices.

Manchester will always be home for anyone

Written by Marcus Johns on . Posted in Lifestyle.

No matter who you are or where you are from, Manchester will always be home for you. Our city is a patchwork of cultures, of languages, and of religions, which are all melded together to give Manchester its distinct attitude of tolerance, mutual respect, and unity in all of our differences.

Last weekend, I went to the Dashehra Diwali Mela celebration in Albert Square. A short procession with traditional Indian music, followed by a street theatre finale telling a story from the Hindu epic Ramayana (all topped off with copious fireworks in traditional Mancunian fireworks-for-everything style), which served as a reminder of the wonder in this city of ours.

In 2013, it was revealed that Manchester is Britain’s city of languages and according to the Independent, it is the most linguistically diverse city in Western Europe. Over 200 languages are spoken here, more than any other area in the United Kingdom. It has even been said by academics that “it’s fair to assume that Manchester has one of the world’s most diverse linguistic cultures.”

But Manchester’s diversity goes deeper than the languages we speak. Some of the most important and well-known areas in Manchester are multicultural beacons. From the Gay Village to Chinatown, and out to Rusholme’s Curry Mile, these prominent areas are celebrated features of our city. Far from ghettoisation, these areas are at both times a centripetal and a centrifugal social force, they pull us all in and show us foods, entertainment, and ways of life different to our own, before spitting us back out so that we can spread the word, with enjoyable memories and an enhanced notion of celebration of others’ cultures.

At times being different can be hard but when others come to celebrate your culture or way of life, it can really affirm your inclusion in the community. I can’t speak for the Hindus during Diwali or people with Chinese heritage during Chinese New Year, but I can talk about my experience as a gay man during Manchester Pride.

Families, businesses, and people of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds lined the streets to wave past packed-out floats celebrating LGBT* people. Drag queens, LGBT* policemen, and a big pink fire engine may not mean anything special to those who are just attending for the sake of it—other than a chance to have a laugh perhaps. However, as a gay person, especially when we can often feel our relationships and ways of life are invalidated and looked down upon, you feel validated, you feel tolerated, and most of all you feel celebrated. Going to the parade and seeing so many people come out to support the LGBT* community creates a hugely supportive atmosphere. It is a most sincere hope of mine that others feel the same warmth during the events that celebrate their cultures and backgrounds.

Serena (Sir Ian) McKellen led this year’s pride parade through Manchester City Centre. Photo: binaryape @Flickr.

I am left wondering about all the different things I have done in my time here in Manchester. There are so many opportunities that I would never have had had I been anywhere else. I’ve been to Holi, to Chinese New Year—with fireworks funded by the Bank of China—to the Manchester Caribbean Carnival in Moss Side. There’s also so much more that I have yet to do; I’ve yet to go to the Irish Festival each March, and I haven’t been to ¡Viva!, the Spanish and Latin American Film Festival. Manchester has it all, and Manchester celebrates it all, showing everyone from all walks of life that they are a welcome and celebrated part of our city’s community.

An example of this inclusive community that I will always remember is attending the Remembrance Sunday service. Each November, a huge congregation gathers in St. Peter’s Square so that representatives from each of the many religions professed by Mancunians can show their respect to Britain’s fallen as a community of communities together.

Manchester’s community is a patchwork quilt of all kinds and it is stronger in its diversity. Manchester is a great place to experience so much and to celebrate others at the same time. Attending these events is not just fun, but it is validating to those whose cultures are being celebrated, and the tolerance and acceptance that blossoms can only be a force for good.

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”7″ gal_title=”Manchester Day”]

If you don’t have time for all of them, why not try Manchester Day each June; starting in 2010, Manchester Day celebrates the diversity and creativity of our city in one long parade, and there’s always the Manchester Picnic in August too. So if you’re a first year daunted by the years ahead, or a third year with little time left, get out there and get involved. Celebrate others’ cultures with them and Manchester will return the favour to you—plus you get to enjoy the celebrations!

Report highlights the weakness of the student vote in the general election

Written by Judith Morales on . Posted in News, Uncategorised.

A report from the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) has argued that the student vote was not as significant an electoral force in this year’s general election as had been originally assumed by opinion polls, the NUS or students themselves.

The report, written by Nick Hillman, shows that even though students were offered ‘promises’ by opposition parties on student finance and other matters which would directly affect them, the impact they actually had on the elections results was limited.

Hillman also insists on the need to effectively analyse the role the student vote plays in advance of the upcoming European Union referendum.

The report explains that there are three main reasons behind the low electoral importance of students in May. First of all, the Tories won seats that were believed to be impenetrable Labour strongholds, such as Loughborough.

The “collapse of the Liberal Democrat vote” was also an important factor. The absence of Proportional Representation once again seriously damaged the Liberal Democrat’s fortunes, and despite receiving 23 per cent of votes in 2010, they secured just 7.9 per cent in 2015. Most of their lost endorsement was originally from students, and there was almost no difference in the fortunes of Lib Dem candidates who were against the tuition fee hike.

The third reason given for the low student impact is that Labour’s commitment to reduce full-time undergraduate tuition fees was not effective, likely due to the short amount of time the new fee policy has been in place.

Most of the conclusions shown in the report are only assumptions, but they do highlight the volatile and ever-changing vote of the young electorate according to opinion poll data.

Hillman also points out those cities with large numbers of student voters largely turned out to be narrow victories for Labour.

The report concludes that “the answer to the question of whether students had the impact expected of them in 2015 is: No. But they may have had a similarly proportionate impact nonetheless.”

Hillman points out that as the amount of students registered to vote was “relatively high,” their “impact as a bloc” was less powerful because many went back home to cast their ballots.

Another possible explanation to the apparent weakness of the student vote is the difference in academic calendars between universities, which likely affected the schedule of students and their ability to vote.

Related to this, Hillman points out that most opinion polls do not use the term ‘student’ to identify individuals in higher education alone, which makes data “often out-of-date.” Many 16- and 17-year-olds who are not eligible to vote are also considered full-time students by the British Election Study (BES), which means conclusions drawn from opinion poll data did not necessarily translate into electoral impact.

Manchester and UK universities build up stronger partnerships with China

Written by Elena Losavio on . Posted in News.

According to Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings, the quality of Chinese universities is significantly rising, with four Chinese universities currently in the global top 100.

President of Imperial College London, Alice Gast, wrote that UK universities will benefit considerably from constructive collaborations with highly trained Chinese researchers. She highlighted that nowadays universities and science are key topics in the discussion of foreign policies both for the UK and China. These topics are highly regarded, especially in the agenda of President Xi Jinping’s visit.

The President Xi Jinping’s visit at The University of Manchester’s National Graphene Institute is an example of this stronger partnership. According to Sky News, the Chinese telecommunication giant Huawei will soon announce an investment of “millions of pounds” for the National Graphene Institute.

Manchester will become an important bridge between the UK and China, in particular at the university level. Many projects have been realized and will be created in the future in order to increase these connections. From June 2016, a new Hainan Airlines flight will connect Beijing and Manchester. Four flights a week will be available and it is already possible to book from The Hainan website.

Manchester Airport Group (MAG) will be subject to a new plan of developments and investments. A new “China Zone” will be created to consolidate the link between the northwest hub and Chinese industries. The redevelopment will increase the exchange of people between the two countries. Chinese students, who already constitute a significant part of the student population in Manchester, will therefore have a direct link to the Chinese capital.

The Chinese Ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, said: “Britain has by far the largest number of Chinese students in any country in Europe”.

“In turn, British people have supported the creation of the largest number of Confucius Institutes in any country of Europe. A third of the Chinese students, who are studying in the UK, are based in areas around Greater Manchester, and 3,600 of them are in the University of Manchester.

“As a result of this visit, Manchester will likely become more attractive to Chinese students and Chinese tourists, and I am sure the attraction will be mutual.”

While Alice Gast argues that UK education is “helping to educate China’s future leaders” and science will benefit by the “collaborative spirit”, this is not the only issue that is being discussed at the moment. The increase of Chinese students and common scientific research goals are associated with substantial Chinese investment in the UK.

Tony Miller writes that over the past ten years China invested a considerable amount of money in the UK and part of that investment was in education. According to David Cameron, in the future China will also invest another £30 billion in the media, education, leisure, banking and energy sectors in the UK.

Among these agreements, there are £200 million new TV training programmes at the University of York, £25 million to distribute Chinese TV to the international audience and investment into the National Graphene Institute.

Questions are being raised about increased Chinese economic power in the UK, especially concerning energy. According to Cameron, the biggest investment concerns nuclear power. A Chinese company is set to invest from £5.4 to £8.2 billion in a new nuclear power plant.

Reflecting upon the relationship between Chinese investments, the UK and the future of university education, Miller argues: “Chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne said nothing about human rights on a recent trip to Beijing, during which he promised that Britain would be China’s ‘best partner in the West, while prime minister David Cameron remains disgracefully silent on Hong Kong’s democracy movement.

“With US$30 billion (£19.4 billion) of Chinese money invested in Britain over the past decade, it’s not hard to see why.”

In addition, Miller points out that the scholarly prestige in the UK, which attracts Chinese students at the moment, is at risk. If that prestige was the result of a centuries-long academic tradition, now it has been put a risk by current policies. Research freedom must be protected and new race, gender and diversity inclusive policies have to be adopted.

He remarked: “The fundamental question that even so-called pragmatists must consider is this: if there is to be an Asian Century, can Britain help illuminate it—and, in the process, prevent its own sun from setting?”

Review: We Want You To Watch

Written by Elise Gallagher on . Posted in Theatre.

Writer Alice Birch has collaborated with RashDash’s Abbi Greenland and Helen Goalen in a creative blend of ideas to create a 75 minute piece for the National Theatre, exploring the destructive influence that video porn has had and continues to inflict on its consumers.

Comissioned by the National Theatre, ‘We Want You To Watch’ is made up of four playlets, which each combine expressive movement and monologue in order to rouse debate. Our two central characters, Pig and Sissy, take us on a non sequiturial adventure, ranging from an interrogation regarding the murder of a dental student, to a situation with the Queen, conveying what sex feels like through interpretative dance, before the three of them perform to Beyonce’s ‘Run the World (Girls)’ complete with giant Union Jacks. Slightly different, isn’t it?

Pornography itself is a subject particularly ripe for theatrical debate; however, the production permitted only brief moments where questions were raised before cutting to our two central characters trying to get the internet switched off. The piece constructed does well to raise issues of debate, but unfortunately falls short of actually exploring them. And if they were truly explored, the absurd nature of whatever fantasy realm we were introduced to distracted us from the point at hand.

It cannot go without note that RashDash are a physical theatre company, who in total have won two Fringe-First awards, The Tods Murray Awards for Best Book and Innovation in Musical Theatre, whilst also receiving nominations from Total Theatre and Off West End Awards. Abi Greenland and Helen Goalen worked tirelessly throughout the performance, exuding the palpable feminist anger that goes hand in hand with what the show was hoping to confront.

An issue many audience members may have had towards the production is the lack of continuity between the playlets. There existed Andy Warhol-esque style cans framing the stage, with the word ‘Sex’ stamped across them. At one point, an old man wandered onto the stage and proceeded to drop his shopping before someone put a Snow White mask on whilst dry humping the air. There was almost an unspoken suggestion that having such bold and, quite frankly, ludicrous scenes, was something done merely for effect.

The scene that stood out the most happened to be the simplest. Pig and Sissy standing either side of the stage, clad in black coats behind a young boy complete with school uniform and rucksack. Their words are quick and harsh but completely immerse the spectators. They predict a future timeline of relationships doomed by his first playground glimpse of porn, before reluctantly shooting him.

While We Want To Watch You is well-intentioned, its spontaneous and often hysterical nature leaves it missing the mark.

I don’t smoke, sorry

Written by Alice Williams on . Posted in Lifestyle.

When envisaging a pint at the pub with your friends, an image of you sitting alone at a sticky table memorising the cocktail menu and flipping beer mats isn’t the first you want to spring to mind. It might, however, be a familiar one if you are the only member of your friendship group that doesn’t smoke, socially or otherwise.

You’ll spend so much time apologising that no, you don’t have a lighter, papers, filters, or bacci that you begin to wonder whether in fact you should just carry them in order to solve the perennial problem that, in every packed smoking area, not one smoker will have all the requisite items for their desired cigarette.

But this in itself is part of the draw of smoking. It gives you a reason to approach people you otherwise would have no idea what to say to and a shared interest of being willing to stand outside for your habit. Hell, if you find that the person you stand hunched next to uses menthol papers then bloody marry them. They are the one for you, in inevitable sickness and in unlikely health.

Never before than within the uncomfortable and often awkward social hub of university has such a social crutch emerged. At any social gathering, watch the boy (Rachael’s friend’s housemate’s mate?) who has sat mutely by the corner of the table for two hours rise like Lazarus with his packet of American Spirit at mention of ducking outside for a cigarette. Entire relationships can be forged in the six-metre squared smoking areas across Manchester.

If you’re confused as to why half of your flatmates get on better, or have started having ‘hilarious’ in-jokes, then a quick glance at how many Bic lighters lie scattered across their floor will give you some answers. Of course, there’s no point in being self-righteous. Many people who criticize those who smoke take the smoker’s break as an opportunity to go to the bar, forcing about three litres of hard liquor upon their wailing kidneys as they grimace at the pictures of dead people on their friend’s Marlboro packet. (I feel for the moustached guy with the throat tumour—maybe he grew that fabulous facial hair to distract and failed miserably.)

In fact, maybe when looking around the poorly-lit and increasingly empty dancefloor, it’s worth taking yourself out to the smoking area and see what social delights are offered there; you’ll be surprised at what creatures you may find.

Hallowe’en Party Tricks and Treats

Written by Polly Brown on . Posted in Lifestyle.

All Hallow’s Eve is fast approaching and the swarm of girls in cat ears is impending. The chances are if you have not yet typed the phrases ‘Halloween costume ideas’ or ‘cool halloween decorations’ into Google, you’re already behind, or just not entirely bothered. Either way, there is nothing to fear this Hallowe’en, for I have bravely scoured the depths of Pinterest to provide the “spookiest” party and predrink ideas. Let’s face it, cotton wool and bin bag creations just don’t impress anymore.

The first thing to consider when hosting a party is the music. Where there’s music, there’s people. The creaking floorboards and wailing ghoul soundtrack may have been a hit in 2003, but sadly it won’t make you popular now. Generically, you will be saved the stress of music selection by a cool kid that enjoys playing DJ. The trick here, however, is to not become too reliant. Everyone needs a break once in a while- even your politely head bopping guests. The easiest recommendation is to download a free music app like SoundCloud and play a Halloween mix. I’ve suggested SoundCloud but Spotify playlists can also be used. Spotify tends to broadcast a lot of adverts during peak usage time, so unless your guests enjoy boogieing to the ‘Spotify Premium’ ad be wary. Otherwise, consider upgrading to Spotify Premium as students can get a reasonably cheap subscription.

Some may say that the next important aspect of a party is food. These people are presumably not students.  The next important thing is always alcohol. The drunker people are, the more social they will become; it’s called ‘liquid confidence’. One sure fire way of getting people talking is drinking games. Drinking games such as ‘alcoholic apple bobbing’. Contrary to its inferences, this game does not involve plunging your face in vodka. That would be wasteful and more than a little dangerous. No, in this version of apple bobbing, the apples have numbers carved into them. These numbers then correspond to the number of shots you must drink. Although this game will certainly get people laughing, it will also ruin their facepaint or makeup. This game is therefore designed for the already tipsy; for the ‘why not?’ phase of drunkenness. In the interests of health and safety it’s suggested that those approaching the ‘room spinning’ or ‘sharing entire life story before sobbing’ phases be escorted towards the nearest sofa. Drink aware, and all that.

Now, it’s time to think about your decorations; keep it cheap and easy. Although, a pumpkin looking sick is, well, sick; you can do better! My advice would be to pay particular attention to the rooms that guests will be in most. If you have a big kitchen, focus your attention there. After all, you’ll always find people in the kitchen at parties. That applies to bathrooms and smoking areas too. Something as simple as using coloured light bulbs or placing plastic spider trails across doors  will make all the difference. My personal Pinterest favourite was the novel idea to cut eye shapes into empty loo roll tubes and place them in trees with a glow stick inside. The image of glowing eyes looming over visitors outside seems almost too good to miss. Another top tip was to stain white hand towels with red hand prints. This, of course, alludes to the execution of a gruesome murder. The obvious suggestion, however, is to have a nosey on Pinterest yourself and get ‘pinspired’. It’s astonishing how much can be made with loo roll.

Finally, playing the role of party host can be a daunting venture, particularly when there are things like green face paint and synthetic blood to contend with. So to avoid the risk of smudges and other unidentifiable marks gracing your walls (and resulting in a hefty chunk out of your deposit), it may be practical to cover them with some trendy Halloween tablecloths. These plastic tablecloths can be purchased from any Poundland and are a simple yet protective way to decorate the walls.

Now for the food: although making all the Halloween inspired delicacies featured on Buzzfeed may seem like a good idea to begin with, in practice it involves pizza on the ceiling and a deep sadness in your heart. Remind your guests of their childhood parties and stick to the easy clean version of a standard crisps and cheese square buffet.  Yes, the pumpkin-being-sick nacho spread may be aesthetically pleasing, but in this case you’re signing yourself up to more trouble than it’s worth. You can’t and shouldn’t do it all. Ultimately, your deposits need not be put in danger. There is a vast difference between clearing up crisp crumbs and chiselling lasagne off the sofa. That tomato stain will haunt you forever.

Review: Love Takes Guts

Written by Ola Youssef on . Posted in Books.

Poetry, live music, and free entry, three things that are guaranteed to draw me in. And I must say, I was not disappointed.

Last Sunday I was at Love Takes Guts at the Fuel Bar and Cafe, a charity event for Live Life, Give Life—an organisation that helps to raise awareness of the importance of organ donation, to fund research, and to help to improve the lives of transplant patients.

The event itself was incredibly friendly, with the host, Eilís Hall, kicking off the night with a bold cover of ‘Gold-digger’, backed up by Liam Morgan on guitar. Small girl, big voice, the night was off to a good start, and with the tension broken, the mic was open and the audience waited with bated breath for someone to take the plunge. And then. Christina. I wish I could tell you her surname, because she is definitely a poet to keep an eye on, but alas, I cannot.

Dressed all in black, with a sunhat at night and indoors, she looked a woman who demanded to be listened to. And once she started, it was near impossible to stop listening to her. Could you blame us? The drama, the romance, the intrigue, she had us hanging on every word. Her poem ‘Artificial Identity’ about the dynamics of coming out in a religious family, was the perfect cross of storytelling and poetry, with a strong narrative voice, flowing verse, and unfaltering rhythm. Just stunning.

Next up, Jacob Bernard-Banton, to showcase a fifteen minute pick n’ mix of poetry. Now, truth be told the boy did not own the stage, and some of his words were lost to speed and nerves, but as soon as he got into it, so did we. His poem ‘Idyllic’ was the poetry equivalent of a cup of tea at the end of a long day. Grandiose poetry about romance is commonplace in the world of literature, but ‘Idyllic’ was about the comfortable everyday. His poem ‘I like you’, another romantic one, also made me smile, if only because I could relate to it so much. Incidentally I think that’s one of Bernard-Banton’s biggest strengths, his poetry speaks the mind of his audience; ‘She Didn’t Ask’—a self professed angry feminist rant—certainly spoke the mind of many people at one point or another. One poem—untitled—quirkiest one of the set, captured the human condition of constant growth—the constant sense of incompletion. It was done in the style of stuttering machine, incapable of processing the vast amounts of information bombarding it at all times, and we’ve all been there, haven’t we?

A little break from the poetry and into some live music from Johanna Alba and Alice Macy, playing covers as well as original music. Macy’s set was incredibly relaxed. Acoustic guitar and a soft voice, it went well the with cosy living room vibe about the stage. Her song ‘Sticks And Stones’ had to be my favourite of the set, a simple song with an almost bluesy quality to it that I’ve been finding pretty moreish, in that I’ve listened to it several times since.

Alba’s set hiked up the tempo a little; her music was more indie folk, spilling into a bit of light rock at times. She is an artist whom I thoroughly enjoy, in fact I think I’ve been through her entire SoundCloud page twice today. She performed three originals, ‘Can’t Stand Your Love’, ‘Runaway’, and ‘No Autobiography’, the first two, however, are part of an EP that is yet to be released, so you won’t be able to find them anywhere yet, you’ll just have to take my word for it that they were very good. Keep your eye on that one, she’s going places.

Last poet of the night was the wonderful Roma Havers, also doing a fifteen minute set. Her first was an ode to the art called ‘For Those Who Call Poetry Boring’, essentially a call for more people to open up their minds and see the poetry all around and inside them. ‘Halloween Safety Month’—definitely one of the weirder poems of the night—was a vivid, strangely dark poem considering it contained nothing more unusual than trick or treating. After that we had a funny little poem called ‘Coming Out To Yourself’, which had me smiling the whole way through. It was an upbeat one about denial, and realisation walloping you on the head when you least expect it, with a rhythm to be commended and a beat that nearly pushed it over the line between spoken word poetry and rap. Roma also explores mental illness in her poetry, her poems ‘Hysteria’, ‘For When Nothing Should Be Said’, and ‘Old Peg’, covered anxiety, depression, and dementia respectively. Havers approaches these topics, as she does all of her poetry, with good taste, humour, and vibrant imagery.

To wrap up the night, we had Janethan perform with his band, Levi O’Reilly, Liam Morgan, and Calum Bowie. Not a minute into the first song and the whole place was on its feet. After a quiet night of poetry and acoustic guitar, we were hit by a full on show of alternative rock playing half a meter away from our faces. Some very skilled instrumentalists and one of the smoothest voices out there, it was an explosive end to the night. Janethan’s single ‘Drummer Boy’ is out now, if you want to have a look, but nothing really beats live music, does it?
So that was Love Takes Guts. If you get a chance to come to one of these events, do! And bring some money with you to donate, but in the meantime, if you would like to donate to Live Life, Give Life, or if you just want to take a look at their website, you can find them at http://livelifegivelife.org.uk/

The Coffee Column: Grindsmith

Written by Andrew Wells on . Posted in News.

Walking down Deansgate can be a bit of a rat race at times. But located in a quieter corner, and not too far from the John Rylands library, is Grindsmith. Situated over two units within the Great Northern Railway Company warehouse, visiting this independent coffee house was an interesting experience.

The interior of the shop is impressive. Retaining the lofty, arched ceiling and bare Accrington brick that once would have been the industrial décor of the GNRC is a masterstroke of design. On entering, the first impressions are spot-on for a quirky independent coffee house. You walk up to the bar where you’re served by a friendly barista who inputs your order into an iPad—a pretty novel detail.

Coffee sat firmly on a miniature chopping board, you then look for somewhere to enjoy your hot cup of java. This is the fun part, there are so many places to sit that you don’t know where to put yourself and, like myself, you could end up doing a full lap of the shop before you decide.

On my little tour, I noticed a few things. Firstly, the ubiquitous upcycled objects, mostly former factory-ware acting as tables, coupled with mass-produced chairs. Secondly was the chipboard panelled walls that formed alcoves and meeting spaces. It’s exactly how you’d imagine an IKEA factory to look. Finally, where I chose to sit was opposite a conference room. It was at this point that it hit me, this place is most definitely geared towards the Mancunian yuppie.

But enough about the interior, let’s talk coffee. There’s enough coffee in its varieties to choose from with cold brew and teas also on offer, all of it is for a seemingly reasonable price too. Trying their ‘long black’ (aka an Americano), was a pleasure to the taste buds. At first, you’re not too sure what to make of it as the aroma suggests it’s going to be a really bitter coffee, but tasting it contradicts this pre-conception as that first sip is mellow, with perhaps a slightly fruity hint. Full marks for the coffee on taste and originality. The downside is that I probably would have liked a larger cup for my money.

Grindsmith also provide an excellent range of light snacks and baked coffee shop classics. Recommending the flapjack, this is fantastically spicy with ginger and dotted with currants. Though I only tried the flapjack, there have been a few recommendations for their food so it would probably be worth another visit for lunch.

The quality of food and drink is fantastic at Grindsmith, the shop itself is comfortable and a great place to work. But, personally, I felt a little out of place and it’s pretty obvious who their target market is with free booking on conference rooms and spaces for ‘blue sky thinking’. However, it’s an ideal spot to write essays or meet with project partners with a great cup of coffee that’s away from the high octane environment on campus.

TAKE-AWAY ✓

FOOD ✓

CAKE ✓

OTHER DRINKS ✓

 

231 – 233 Deansgate,

Manchester,

 M3 4EN

Review: Still Howling

Written by Roma Havers on . Posted in Books.

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the first reading of Allen Ginsberg’s ‘Howl’, I joined the starred participants of Still Howling at The Wonder Inn. Considering the event started at 2pm and would go on all the way through to 11pm, I packed some food and steeled myself for the stamina level I might need.

When I arrived, however, the atmosphere was one of casual intimacy. It felt like everyone already knew each other and the whole room felt like a memorial for a friend. This feeling continued for the rest of the afternoon.

The first event of the day was an ‘Afternoon Symposium’, which I initially thought sounded pretentious but was soon proved to be very wrong. This slot included frank conversations between people who had known Ginsberg, including his guitarist Steven Taylor, his biographer and close friend Barry Miles and Michael Horovitz, a friend of his and veteran poet.

This was the first time Ginsberg seemed like a real person to me. He was someone who wrote magnificent poetry, but he was also someone who allowed friends to live in his apartment for months on end and who loved Liverpool. Steven Taylor was particularly humorous in his storytelling, remarking once that you should “never be the one with a credit card in a punk band”.

Later in the afternoon, a series of poets performed their work. The variety was fantastic and the local performers were some of the best acts of the day, including Elmi Ali whose fantastic spitting poem, ‘Prometheus and the Dictator’, shocked the room to silence. The Reclaim Poets, who work with young people from disadvantaged homes to give them a voice, were next and were equally inspiring and incredibly powerful. They opened the floor for questions about what we as a community could do to fight against racism, especially in Manchester.

Finally, Michael Horovitz performed. He chose to read poems from friends who had sadly passed who were inspired by Ginsberg, and then some of his own. Including absurdist pipe playing and singing so terrible it was remarkably touching, it seemed there was a general sense of mourning for a time past and another era of poetry and thought. Finally, he sang some William Blake poems with Steven Taylor as Ginsberg often did. The afternoon finished with a certain sense of melancholia, or maybe that was because the room was so cold by 6pm I could barely feel my feet.

The evening started again an hour later, by this point I was slightly less cold but much more tired. The night promised music and an inspiring performance of ‘Howl’ itself. However, from the onset there was a different atmosphere; the room was sparsely filled and the lighting had changed.

The music itself was an odd mix of passable and entirely bizarre, with elements of loveliness like Chris T-T’s renditions of some A.A. Milne classics and Steven Taylor’s songs. However, Heath Common was self-indulgent and poorly accompanied. For a singer proclaimed to be wonderful, he was difficult to listen to.

By this point I was very much looking forward to the final act, George Hunt’s performance of ‘Howl’. One of my favourite ever poems, ‘Howl’ transcends its time and continues to fight against the theatrical nature of previous poetry.

In light of this you can imagine my horror when George Hunt’s Corrie-like rendition began; with offensively Panto-esque gesturing and vocals hammier than a sandwich. He ended the rendition with a fall to his knees, not dissimilar to the action my drama teacher called ‘Total Meltdown.’

With a cold end to a cold day, it took me a moment to reflect. While long, Still Howling had elements of intimacy, humbleness, great humour and touching reflections of Ginsberg’s life and ideals. It was a shame that the lead-up was better than the finale. Despite this, the final song ‘Footnote to Howl’, composed by Steven Taylor, was delightfully rude and a great end to a very long day.

Kudos to Roger Bygott and Simon Warner, they certainly put on an event!

Review: Northern Ballet’s 1984

Written by Rob Paterson on . Posted in Theatre.

This review needs an important preface: I know nothing about ballet. However, I actually think a position of ignorance is useful when appraising this particular show.

For starters, I’m sure countless other, more distinguished publications have plenty to say about how technically accurate the dancers’ pirouettes were, though it surely goes without saying that in any Northern Ballet production the standard of dancing is high. You don’t get dubbed Europe’s best dance company for nothing. More importantly, if there’s one title that could draw philistines like myself into trying out ballet, it’s this one.

It wouldn’t be an understatement to call 1984 one of the most culturally significant books of all time. Not only has it worked its way into pop culture and the common lexicon, having invented the terms ‘big brother’ and ‘room 101’, but Orwell’s astonishingly detailed world of ultimate state control has come to resemble ours in a frightening number of ways; from government programs allowing constant surveillance, to the destruction of language by the LOL.  This marriage between a work of seemingly permanent relevance and a performance type which is stereotypically old fashioned and inaccessible has the makings of either a cross cultural extravaganza or poorly judged hash of a literary great.

One aspect of the book which ballet arguably manages to capture better than many other visual mediums is the love story between Winston and Julia. Theirs is not a relationship that builds through communication: such activity is strictly banned by the party and, conveniently, banned by customs of ballet. They’re drawn to each other by those ineffable, inexorable forces that make your stomach lurch when you look at someone; love at first sight if you will.

There’s a beautiful moment when Winston first sees her whilst performing the daily hate. The frenzied crowd begin to move in slow motion and the two break out and dance together with fluidity and grace. These moments of freedom juxtapose the rigid, unified movements performed when engaging in party activity.

However, it seems that director Jonathan Watkins was also aware that this love story provided the most lucrative muse for choreography and rather over-emphasised it. It’s true that Winston and Julia’s relationship is mostly sexual; it’s in this way that they rebel against the party, but never have sex scenes taken up so much run time in an adaptation of 1984.

Criticising this aspect is problematic though, as these scenes were some of the best in the show and provided welcome relief from the constant repetition of movements that were performed under the watchful eye of big brother.

Herein lies the main problem with the production: the aspect of the book which can best be represented through ballet is the plot and that is arguably its least interesting aspect.  Winston’s day to day activities are dull and repetitive and many of the scenes convey this all too well. At the same time details that we’re supposed to see through Winston’s eyes, such as the construction of newspeak and the children who are conditioned to report their parents to the authorities, are totally unrepresented. On reflection, I’m not sure they could have been.

As well as and perhaps because of this, for an art form which encompasses pure expression, it never made me feel the way I did when I first read the book. Perhaps it’s this constant outsider’s perspective, or the fact that the cast exude being in control rather than being controlled, but I was not left feeling the same claustrophobia and paranoia the novel conveys.

So, extravaganza or hash? It probably falls somewhere in between. There are great moments: the first time the ensemble dances in front of the stark brightness of LED screens is visually spectacular and the climax involving Winston’s ordeal in room 101 is interestingly choreographed and genuinely tense. These moments may be enough to draw in many a newcomer but, overall, 1984 provides an insufficient plot for a consistently entertaining ballet whilst ballet itself (at least this one) seems incapable of capturing the essence of the novel.