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Day: 2 November 2015

Classic Review: Lost Highway

The Guardian once described David Lynch as the most important film-maker of a generation, and the film Lost Highway is quite possibly the most underrated work of Lynch’s impressive surrealist filmography. Fred Madison (Bill Pullman) is a protagonist caked in mystery, and during the opening sequence, Madison is framed in a close up next to the intercom, when a voice is heard saying “Dick Laurent is dead”—an enigma that holds significance to the events that unfold throughout this epic rollercoaster of confusion and of disturbing visuals.

Essentially, this film is about memory and how we choose to remember things. Fred struggles to piece together the memories of the events that left his wife Renee Madison (Patricia Arquette) murdered. Before her death, the two of them awaken to receive parcels, daily, of someone filming the inside of the house as they sleep, until one day the footage shows Madison with the body of his wife—hacked to pieces—surrounding him. Fred is found guilty of her murder and is imprisoned. Not long into the film, Fred says that he hates video cameras because he likes to remember things his own way, a statement that really defines the film itself. The idea of memory on its own is not real, but the outline of the memory is real and that is a true ‘Lynchian’ quality throughout.

Halfway through the film, Fred seemingly transforms into Pete Dayton (Balthazar Getty), and the police have no choice but to release him because he is not Fred. Lynch’s use of visuals here emulates those from previous works such as Eraserhead and Blue Velvet, and these visuals reflect a purposely confusing and uncomfortable set of circumstances. Lynch deliberately divagates from the audience’s ideals of a conventional narrative. The sequences on screen seem somewhat plausible (in a Lynchian world) and are then vamped up to a new height of… bizarreness. It is worth mentioning the performance from Getty is quite exceptional, since he plays a character who is almost reflexive to the audience; this is because he has no understanding of how his character is involved in these set of surreal circumstances.

The most enjoyable aspect, if you are a David Lynch fan, is the character known in the credits as The Mystery Man. This character embodies all of David Lynch’s surrealist qualities, and his involvement makes the film as effective as it is towards Lynch’s themes of dream and memory. The Mystery Man (Robert Blake) brings out a generic look of something from a gothic horror film, and it is these visuals that the audience can identify as denoting trouble. He says to Fred before Fred transforms into Pete, “we met before, at your house, don’t you remember?” He invokes an evil that Fred has let come into his life, an evil deed that he has committed—the murder of his wife Renee. He constantly films Frank, something he doesn’t want and that he doesn’t want to remember.This film requires the audience to look into their psyche as well as the characters’, and if you’re willing to do that, you will encounter a very important piece of cinema.

Interview: Songhoy Blues

The opening riff of ‘Soubour’—the first song on Songhoy Blues’ new album, Music in Exile and probably their most famous in the UK—is a mesmerising mélange of zesty beats, rock guitar riffs and insistent vocal lines. It’s music that runs; free of chains that—until very recently, it was held down by. Yet there is melancholy underlying the sprightly pace, for whilst they experience freedom in their music, they’re all too aware that it’s a luxury which many do not have.

“The problems we have in Mali are great,” they tell me. It was these problems that forced the band to leave their homes there—when Jihadists took control of North Mali, they enforced strict Sharia law and outlawed music. This travesty is the subject of new documentary film, They Will Have To Kill Us First: Malian Music in Exile—where Songhoy Blues features. Now, the Malian military is working with French armies to reclaim the country, and, although the situation seems to be improving, there is still conflict in both the north and south parts of the country.

Despite the threat from extremists, the band maintains that “there is also much [in Mali] to celebrate. The good, the bad; it’s all in our lyrics,” they assure me. You could argue that hope outstrips the melancholy in their music, with the chorus of ‘Sobour’ urging the Malian people to remain optimistic. “Patience and tolerance resume life,” it can be translated as their voices coming together in swift and affecting harmony. “’Soubour’ is a message to the Malian people to be patient,” they explain. “In the aftermath of the war in the north of the country, lots of people are impatient to rebuild their lives, but it is only with patience that good things will come.”

Mali is always at the centre of the band’s work—even their name, they tell me, “is in honour of our Songhai people.” These are people who speak Songhai languages and are primarily found in Mali. However, more western influences are prevalent in their music too, such as American blues and rock ‘n’ roll. They also have much love for the UK, where they are signed with Transgressive Records after having been championed by big British names such as Damon Albarn. I asked them what effect their connections with America, France and the UK had on their music, wondering to what extent they would describe their music as distinctly Malian. “Musically it has many elements of modern Malian music” they tell me, “but in a different context, with less traditional instruments, more electric guitars and big drums.”

Despite their global collaboration and appeal, they are adamant that their album is not regarded as world music. “We’re just a band with the same influences as lots of other musicians. We’re just a rock band.” This may be true, but Songhoy Blues’ music contains messages that seem to stretch far and beyond the normal domain of rock music. Songhoy Blues write about unity, hope and optimism: “We want our music to celebrate peace and reconciliation, because we can all be united in music despite our differences of culture or religion or ethnicity.” It may not be world music, but it’s certainly music that calls out to common humanity.

Live: The Soft Moon

Night & Day

20th October

The Soft Moon haven’t played in Manchester since 2012, but it feels like they never left. Easily mistaken for an overlooked Factory Records act, the goth-tinged post-punk band do their best to take us back to the grim, industrial (and yes, caricatured for the sake of a lazy comparison) Manchester of the early 1980s.

Icy and mechanical on record, The Soft Moon are markedly more visceral in a live setting, and defy their austere lineup of three (all clad head-to-toe in black, naturally) by supplementing the core guitar-bass-drums setup with queasy synths, rattling drum machines and heavy effects on just about everything. Oh, and occasionally a metal canister too. No, it doesn’t help with the Factory comparisons.

The sheer grimness and intensity with which the band rattle through their opening songs is thrilling, and it feels like no time before frontman Luis Vasquez curtly announces—scarcely twenty minutes in—that the next song will be their last. How very punk rock of them. Except no, it’s not, because the proclaimed final song leads into another, and another, and by the time The Soft Moon leave the stage —after an encore, no less—45 minutes have passed.

The problem is, is that this kind of music isn’t exactly subtle, and while it’s stunningly effective in small doses, the lack of variation in tone and pace means its impact is rather lessened as the show draws to a conclusion. The band rely so heavily on their rather monochromatic palette that, even during the show, I find myself struggling to distinguish one song from the other.

Vasquez’s dense, textured music translates surprisingly well to a live setting, particularly considering the limitations of the lineup. Yet despite a gripping opening, The Soft Moon fails to maintain this momentum and falls short of its considerable potential.

5/10

Brain chemistry adapts to raise pain threshold, Manchester study reveals

A team of scientists at the University of Manchester have demonstrated for the first time that the brain chemistry of individuals suffering from chronic pain can adapt so as to raise their pain threshold and reduce their level of suffering.

Led by Dr. Christopher Brown, the research showed that the number of opiate receptors in the brain—which respond to the natural painkilling effects of endorphins—increase in individuals who experience long-term pain from conditions such as arthritis. A greater number of receptors allows these individuals to withstand a higher level of pain.

Commenting on the results of the study, Dr. Brown said: “As far as we are aware, this is the first time that these changes have been associated with increased resilience to pain and shown to be adaptive. Although the mechanisms of these adaptive changes are unknown, if we can understand how we can enhance them, we may find ways of naturally increasing resilience to pain without the side effects associated with many pain killing drugs.”

Professor Anthony Jones, leader of the Human Pain Research Group based in Salford, welcomed the findings as “very exciting” in regard to their potential future medical application. He commented: “There is generally a rather negative and fatalistic view of chronic pain. This study shows that although the group as a whole are more physiologically vulnerable, the whole pain system is very flexible and that individuals can adaptively up-regulate their resilience to pain. It may be that some simple interventions can further enhance this natural process, and designing smart molecules or simple non-drug interventions to do a similar thing is potentially attractive.”

Album: Real Lies – Real Life

Released 16th October on Marathon Artists

7/10

Two years on since the release of their first single ‘Deeper,’ London three-piece Real Lies have brought electro pop, 90s samples, and their own melancholic house style together in their debut album Real Life. Tom Watson, Rart Kong and frontman Kev Kharas’s affection for British club music pervades the record.

Despite Kharas’s protestations, it’s hard not to pick up on influences from New Order to The Streets. That being said, the band has blended these influences with modern house and electronic music to form their own unique style.

Real Lies’ talent for lyrics and their slower electronic backing makes for a strong debut album which leaves room for growth. The album kicks off with ‘Blackmarket Blues,’ setting the tone for the album as swelling synths drown out morning birdsong. Carried by simple yet energetic synth loops Kharas portrays club culture with wonderful imagery from a “5am Exodus” to the morning church bells.

Real Life continues strong, although at ‘World Peace’ things begin to drag. ‘Deeper’ introduces a more melancholy side of the band whilst which is explored slightly more later in the album. ‘One Club Town’ is a wonderfully fun, ska influenced dance track that is simply infectious.

The recent single and strongest track on the album, ‘North Circular’, brings the true talent of Real Lies to the fore—namely Kev Kharas’ vocals and talent for lyrics. Set to simplistic percussion, ‘North Circular’ sees Kharas paint a bleak image of being a twenty-something living in Central London.

At this point, the record begins to flag. Granted ‘7 Sisters’ shows off the band’s lighter side in a catchy disco track. But towards the end of Real Life the energy drops, and without the same strength of Kharas’ lyrics he doesn’t quite manage to carry the tracks.

Overall Real Life is an exciting debut that hints at more great material to come. As long as Kharas can build on what’s worked so far, there is still plenty of room to mix other genres into Real Lies’ unique style, or simply just produce more catchy tracks.

Album: Neon Indian – VEGA INTL. Night School

Vega Intl. Night School is Neon Indian’s first release for 4 years. Their third studio album, it was almost the one that got away. On the final date of their tour in support of 2011’s Era Extraña, band leader Alan Palomo’s laptop was stolen at the end of a night of—to us his own words—“misadventures.” With it were two year’s worth of demo recordings lost. Despite this loss, Palomo has produced the best Neon Indian to date.

The first thing to strike you about this album is how polished some of the tracks sound. On previous outings, Neon Indian’s sound could best probably be compared to a VHS tape playing sounds taken from a Gameboy. This acid-washed psychedelia not only made the band stand out so dramatically from many other groups, but also gave their songs an enigmatic charm.

The first two singles from this album, ‘Annie’ and ‘Slumlord’, both sound a far cry from some of their earlier work. The former has a definite crisp popiness, whilst ‘Slumlord’ sounds—at times—like an 80s house track. This does not, however, mean the band has thrown what made them so recognisable to the wind. Many of the other songs maintain the unmistakable musical jaggedness for which Neon Indian are known, and even in the most refined of songs, brief interludes of distorted synths offer something of a return to the familiar—typified no better than by the breakdown in ‘The Glitzy Hive’, a passage you almost wish had been given it’s own song.

In Vega Intl. Palomo has made extensive use of samples from what sound like films, TV shows, and even ambient chatter. This all adds to an often busy sounding record, with songs running in to one another compounding what is a fluid effect, albeit one that can be a bit overwhelming. This perhaps gives rise to the chief criticism of the album—that there can be too much going on. In some songs the heavy use of different layers and bold sounds can render them hard to engage with. Make no mistake, the frenetic nature of this record can be very entertaining, but the best tracks are decidedly the ones where there is less competition for your attention.

Vega Intl. Night School is without a doubt Neon Indian’s best album. Long time fans may pine for the sound of albums past, but with this more polished direction the band can be assured of reaching their widest audience yet.

Review: Hotel Transylvania 2

Sequels to children’s films often feel forced and largely made to produce merchandise and milk money from obedient parents. This often leaves us with a bitter taste at the thought of once adored films.  For example, Ice Age is currently on its fifth instalment. This isn’t always the case, though—I can think of numerous animations which used the same incentive yet manage to produce excellent films. Hotel Transylvania 2 failed to do this.

Hotel Transylvania 2 is our second taste of a gothic-themed comedy following the life of hotel owner, Count Dracula, voiced by Adam Sandler. The first instalment, released in 2012, left critics unimpressed. It did, however, manage to generate heat amongst parents, grossing $42.5 million in its opening weekend. Inevitably this international success led to the director and producers alike pushing for more.

We join the Hotel Transylvanian crew as they celebrate the marriage of Dracula’s daughter, Mavis (voiced by Selena Gomez), to a quirky and lovable human. Straight away the film introduces the fast-paced, humorous tone as we are subjected to joke after joke.

With Robert Smigel in charge of the screenplay—a writer who has written for award-winning comedies like Louie (which I highly recommend watching) and Saturday Night Live—I was expecting a relatively refreshing script. And although I thought the script was the strongest part of this film, I still felt let down by the lack of originality. Part of me wants to largely blame co-writer Adam Sandler, who has continually produced poor comedy films that are often just annoying.

The storyline, or the lack thereof, felt very forced and unnecessary. We were focused on tensions between Dracula and his daughter as she raises her newborn child—who is half human and half vampire. Dracula being Dracula can’t picture a world where his grandson isn’t a vampire, however first-time mother Mavis has accepted her son as a human without giving it much thought. Her basis for believing that he was human and setting up the story for the entirety of the film, was her son’s kind nature and ginger locks. Given that this was probably the first human/vampire hybrid in existence, I don’t think ginger hair was enough evidence to go on! So instead of talking it through, which would have probably solved this very simple problem, for the next 89 minutes we were bombarded with Dracula & co. getting into sticky situations.

Sticky situations, may I add, that never could build tension. It was constantly masked by cheap one-liners, which often seemed more important to get across than the actual events unfolding. If they were in a race against time, there was always a spare moment in which jokes could be shoehorned in. The result? A film which felt like it was made to tell the audience bad jokes and the storyline was just the train track that was struggling to help these jokes along.

With an all-star cast and award winning writers, director Genndy Tartakovsky failed to impress in this, his fourth feature length film. Tartakovsky’s animation work in the past has been inspiring. Many will remember Dexter’s Laboratory, and more recently Star Wars: The Clone Wars. With these in his bag, you’d have expected more than we were given. A sequel was always going to be a challenge. The first instalment of Hotel Transylvania was massively helped by the fact that we were experiencing the gothic, ‘monster’ owned hotel for the first time. But once we were past the idea, the film needed interesting and dynamic characters to carry it along. Unfortunately this was missing in Hotel Transylvania 2—but that doesn’t appear to have stopped audiences flocking to this film, having grossed $47.5million in its opening weekend, breaking the September opening record, set by none other than the its predecessor. If it carries on at this rate, I’m sure that in a few years, we will all be watching Hotel Transylvania 10, thinking back to the ‘good years’ of the original.

2/5

Cross-cultural couture

Take Off

Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Kyle Zabawa, and I’m your chief flight attendant today. On behalf of The Mancunion Fashion & Beauty, I’d like to wish you a very warm welcome aboard this conveniently brief, non-stop service across the globe as we delve into the international wonders of the male sartorial world.

In a few moments, the flight attendants will be passing around the cabin to offer you refreshments—expect a main course of history and geography accompanied with a side order of spirituality. Alcoholic drinks are also available at a nominal charge. Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight.

Norwegian Knitwear

Photo: CathyWeeks@Flickr

With cheekbones as sharp as their mountainous regions, it is often argued that our Scandinavian siblings are the ones to thank for the humble winter jumper (or at least the styles frequenting our high street this season). Knitwear remains to this day a wardrobe essential among the fishing communities of Norway to combat the infamous Nordic winds—practical fashion is always a bonus.

Back here in Blighty though, AW15 has seen the inclusion of an increasingly diverse range of textures and patterns to our choice of knitwear. Expect to see everything from the heavy-duty cable knit right through to the merino turtleneck across the board.

A Collar Kiki

Photo: ASOS

The mandarin collar, also known as the ‘granddad collar’, is comprised of a short, un-folded, stand up style, often attached to shirts and jackets. Believed to originate as a mainstay for the bureaucratic scholars of Imperial China, and also popular within 20th century India, the style today features heavily in Western military uniforms—larger collar styles are understandably an inconvenience for those who engage in close combat. This minimalist, oriental collar design has also, in recent years, permeated through collections by fashion’s finest, including those of Alexander McQueen and Lanvin.

Artisans of Africa

Photo: Vivienne Westwood

New wave icon Vivienne Westwood celebrated the fifth anniversary of her annual ‘Made in Africa’ bag collection this year. The unisex pieces, constructed by Kenyan artisans, form an integral part of the brand’s assembly. This initiative has not only introduced the vibrant pan-African colour palette into an otherwise tonally muted AW15 for British fashion but, on a more serious note, Westwood’s scheme has generated jobs for 1558 people to date from 21 different African communities. For the ethically conscious shopper, Westwood pieces remain a staple choice.

Man Bun Madness

Photo: InternetArchiveBookImages@Flickr

This hairstyle du jour, revived supposedly by a rise in hipster culture circa 2011, is often claimed by trichologists to originate in South Asia during the time of religious icon extraordinaire, Siddhārtha Gautama. (That’s Buddha, for those who didn’t pay enough attention in Year 8 Religious Studies.)

It is also contested that during Edo era Japan (1603 – 1868), an earlier version of the style visible in your lecture theatres today was developed as a means of holding a samurai helmet in place during combat. Understandably so, the cut carried an overt prestige in Japan throughout this time; yet, in modern British culture, perceptions of this style depend more upon personal proclivities.

I do bring good news for the 16th century Samurai however, in a recent study by ‘WhatsYourPrice’ (I’m kindly informed that this is a dating website), 82 per cent of women between the ages of 18 and 24 deemed the man bun ‘attractive’. All was not well, however, amongst women over the age of 35, who were found to be least in favour of the updo, with a dramatically reduced 37 per cent of this group reacting positively to the style. Make of that what you will.

The Convincing Case of the Cuban Heel

Photo: ASOS

Popularised within British culture during the heyday of The Beatles, the classic tightly fitting ankle boot with a pointed toe, a.k.a. the Cuban Heel, is a stylistic variation of the elementary Chelsea Boot. Arguably the magnum opus of male footwear, the Cuban Heel of today comes in a whole variety of materials and cuts to suit even the most individualistic of tastes.

Reputable shoe museum curators (yes, they exist) of the world claim that the humble high-heeled shoe is, by origin, traceable to the male horse-riding warriors of the medieval Middle East. Functionality over fashion was however the aim here—the heel enabled the rider to remain in their stirrups, seemingly an essential attribute when firing arrows from horseback. While this writer won’t be galloping off into the distant sunset on Black Beauty anytime soon, I shall be sporting my Chelsea boots with pride, having been informed of their practical past.

Landing

Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to welcome you back home. Please check around your seat for any personal belongings you have on board with you, and please use caution when opening the overhead storage, as heavy items may have shifted around during the flight. On behalf of the entire crew here at The Mancunion Fashion & Beauty, I’d like to thank you for joining us on this trip, and we are looking forward to seeing you on board again in the near future.

Scandimania – the Nordic fashion boom

Scandinavian style is most famously synonymous with IKEA and H&M. These household brand giants have caused international tidal waves by offering affordable bites of Swedish style to replace everything from your sofa to your socks; IKEA has become the new buzz term for modern when talking lampshades.
Sweeping Instagram and the blogosphere with similar velocity is ‘Scandi’ style. So what characterises ‘Scandi’ style and where exactly is this trend surge originating from? The look is relatively simple and a basic palette consists of:

1. Monochrome; heavy on the black with the odd splatter of nudes and navy
2. Blurring of gendered shapes; Scandi favours boxy tailoring and unisex options
3. Simplicity over showy; avoiding loud patterns, explicit jewellery, or fussy hemlines
4. Flat footwear, with Nikes having a popular following in Copenhagen
5. Low-key hair and makeup, with straighteners and fake tan firmly unfriended

Photo: danmarksdesignskole @Flickr

A portion of this recognisable look comes from the influence of Acne Studios, a premium design house based in Stockholm which enjoys producing frustratingly covetable but bankrupting coats. However there is more to Scandinavian style than an Instagram fad. Fashion in Copenhagen and Stockholm is far more diverse and adventurous than this standardised look. Members of the Uni’s Nordic society suggest the cities in Scandinavia are the originators of the most condensed frissons of international style influence. There exists a hotbed of young designers, with Swedish brands most prominent in showcasing crazy amounts of talent; see brands such as L’Homme Rouge, Cheap Monday and Filippa K for clues.

Photo: ArtRebels @Flickr

A new Instagram term approaches for what was arguably the once ‘Scandi’ look, and that is ‘normcore’. A mix of ‘hardcore’ and ‘normal’, it is a trend for average-looking clothing and had a heavy presence on New York SS15 catwalks. A mutant of ‘Scandi’ cool, the look is defined as ‘stylized blandness’. ‘Normcore’ does not mean adopting unfashionable clothes, or randomising choice by letting your dog choose from your wardrobe, instead it is choosing clothes which are in no way distinguishable, not even distinguishable by oddity. Average is now ironically a fashionable statement of anti-fashion.

Scandinavia continues to be the root from which the most innovative, edgy fashion talk originates, and credit must be paid to the large density of talented designers and bloggers, quietly producing some of the most widespread, talked about fashion in the world.

Live: Alex G

19th October

Night & Day Café

“HOLLOW!”
“READY!”
“CRAB!”
“TRASH!”
“CHANGE!”
It’s 10:30pm at the Night & Day, and Alex G has opened the floor for song requests. Above is an inconclusive list of demands. Only thing is, we’re already in the encore, and G only has time for one more song. Even after a full set, the number of suggestions blurted at the stage gives an idea of the depth of Alex G’s songbook after only seven years of output. After a minute or two of rabble, the fan with the strongest baritone gets his wish, and the band close with ‘Change.’

Playing live, Alex Giannascoli comes across as facetious and nihilistic, and sounds much grungier than on record. Gone are the delicately sampled micro-melodies that litter his albums, replaced with formless jams between songs that break up the show and at times bring the momentum of the setlist grinding to a halt. These freakouts are as disruptive as Spotify adverts, but gripping nonetheless. The drummer keeps no time, the bassist spanks strings at random, and Alex G screams into the mic. He doesn’t seem to give a fuck. Is he slurring his words because he’s wasted, or just apathetic?

As an interviewee, it’s like talking to Holden Caulfield (see the Q&A in our archive). Online, it’s like he’s mastered technology but remains a luddite; everything on his tumblr page is in small caps, lacking punctuation and proper grammar, illustrated with Polaroid pictures. As Dan Miller noted in last week’s issue, he’s also a technically brilliant home-producer, but chooses to leave his coughs in the mic track.

It all appears authentic, but also non-committal in its own way; he seems pretty out there, but his wilfully disaffected attitude is what stops him from taking things to the next level. He may lack ambition, but to me that seems like a wonderful thing. His music is all about simple pleasures, like his dogs—and warding off complications by clinging to one’s innocence. Like Mac DeMarco, who scaled things back this year with Another One, Alex G is another small town music maker who just wants to kick back with his homies, and his pets.

I imagine most of Alex G’s fans harbour that strangely protective sentiment of hoping your favourite artist doesn’t become too successful. For reassurance, they should go to one of his unambitious, bittersweet shows. His set at Night & Day wasn’t that good—half-arsed and lacking in stage presence— but somehow that makes me glad. Clearly, Alex G fans are not going to have to endure the loss of their indie totem to money and fame; he’s not going to achieve it, because he doesn’t seem to want to. And so back to that set closer, ‘Change’, which says it all in a few words. It’s a minimal four-chord structure, ending with a repeated, timid refrain: “I don’t like how things change.”

When people label something “90s guitar music,” it’s usually a fairly meaningless term, but for Alex G it totally makes sense. If there is a meaning to the “90s” term, I’d say it’s to do with documenting twisted adolescence. A lot of bands before the 90s dealt with growing up, but mostly in different ways: 60s bands sang about girls and drugs, 70s punk was teenager-ish but in a much angrier and more purposeful way.

But the first thing that comes to mind when someone drops the “90s” suffix is unglamorous, snotty, lazy music for fucked up teenagers and their petty lives. In this way, it’s the music with the most defined generational gap—it’s the stuff you couldn’t imagine listening to once you’re out of your twenties and trying to get on in life. The “90s sound” gets thrown around a lot in music writing, but Alex G truly embodies it. In all his pitch-warping, throwaway home-recording and word-slurring nihilistic glory, Alex G is every inch 2015’s poet laureate of youthhood.

An ode to international beauty products

When looking into my beauty drawers (shamefully yes, there’s more than one…), I noticed that I’ve acquired a number of different products from a number of different countries. Here’s a roundup of my top 5 from around the world.

France

Some of my favourite international beauty products come from just across the channel in good ol’ France. Their pharmacies are always well stocked with countless skincare gems from brands such as La Roche Posay, Avene, Nuxe, Bioderma, and Caudalie. One of my favourite finds has to be La Roche Posay’s Serozinc—a zinc sulphate solution that can be sprayed or swept across your face on a cotton pad to soothe the skin and any irritations. It also works a treat on any cuts, rashes, or ingrown hairs (and nobody likes those). They’ve recently started stocking this in Boots, so it’s super easy to get your mitts on them.

Italy

KIKO Cosmetics comes out top in my eyes. From Italy, they’re really reasonably priced, good quality, and have recently started popping up stores all over the UK too. My favourite pick from here would have to be their Long Lasting Eyeshadow Sticks. These are easily a dupe for the ever coveted and crazy expensive Ombre Blackstar shadow sticks from By Terry—but at just a fraction of the price. KIKO also do some great lip liners, and a really cool lip scrub in stick form.

USA

Heading across the pond now, and we’re faced with hundreds of amazing choices. However, one of my favourites (that you can get here in the UK on cultbeauty.com—yay!) has to be the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow Pomade. A favourite of many bloggers and celebs, this little pot of joy works wonders to help filling in my nonexistent eyebrows. It is so quick and easy to use, especially with the eyebrow brush they sell too. They also do a stick form of this cult product in the form of Brow Wiz, another favourite to the stars.

South Korea

Possibly more of an unknown beauty find would be the wonderful selection of BB creams that South Korea has to offer. A personal favourite of mine is the Skin 79 Super Plus Beblesh Balm, Triple Fuction (phew that’s a mouthful—but it’s the one in the pink bottle). This can be worn alone as a base, or under your usual foundation as an additional skincare step in order to minimise dark areas, create a clearer skin tone, and provide SPF30. There are a number of different variations of this product too, so if you prefer a higher SPF, or a more moisturising finish—they’ve got one for you. These are a little harder to get hold of than the other products that I’ve mentioned, but I usually find mine on eBay.

Australia and New Zealand

Finally, we finish up with the wonderful Rosehip Oil from Trilogy. It’s an all natural brand from Australia and New Zealand, and the products are extracted from rosehip seeds (ooh), a natural alternative to synthetic skincare ingredients. This miracle in a bottle can help improve skin tone, reduce the appearance of scars and stretch marks, and moisturise the skin, too. Good news, it’s also easy to get hold of and you can find it stocked in Boots, Debenhams and even Holland and Barratt.

So there we have it, 5 wonderful products from 5 wonderful countries.

Manchester graduates on the Frontline

Social work is not the most glamourous profession university students will consider as a career once they have completed their degree. Chances are that you will not have thought about becoming a social worker before.

Indeed, social work is a highly demanding career that, unfortunately, has seen more negative than positive headlines in the last few years. Controversies in Rochdale, Birmingham and Haringey have not been ideal from a PR perspective.

The negative headlines come at a particularly inopportune moment, as there are around half a million children in the UK that need social work at any one time. These children, at risk of abuse or neglect, are ten times more likely to be excluded from school; only seven per cent get to go to university; and, most staggeringly, a quarter of the young prison population were in care at an earlier stage of their life.

However, in a bid to address this challenge, one University of Manchester alumnus has teamed up with a Labour peer to make more top-quality students consider social work as their career. In so doing, they are hoping to transform the lives of vulnerable children across the UK, and improve the image of social work nationwide.

 

Josh MacAlister graduated from the University of Manchester in 2009, with a degree in Politics and Social Policy. He subsequently joined Teach First to train as a teacher, before his big idea hit him: What if he applied the Teach First model of training—an intensive, but short, residential course followed by on-the-job learning—to social work?

He wrote a paper after his Teach First placements in Oldham and Stockport, having been inspired by seeing the attainment gap between children who had social workers involved at home, and those who did not.

“It wasn’t statistics, it was the real life stories of children who were not going to do well at school, who were going to struggle to get a job, had huge disruption and distraction in their home lives; and I compared that to the status, the standing, the lack of prestige in social work.”

Josh’s treatise came to the attention of Labour party peer Lord Andrew Adonis and, together, the two managed to get Frontline off the ground in 2013.

In its first year, there were 27 applications for every one place available on the scheme. Now, they have shot up from 76th to 40th place in The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers, leaping above companies like Bloomberg, RBS and Citi. This year, there are places for 180 graduates who would like to become social workers, with a commitment of two years.

 

Lord Adonis is the son of a Cypriot immigrant, who was placed into voluntary care, and lived in council children’s home until the age of 11. He went on to earn a place to study at Oxford, where he earned his Ph.D. in History. He became an academic of repute and had a stint as a journalist, before he was made a key advisor to Tony Blair in 1998, covering education policy.

He was the driving force behind Labour’s academy programme and pioneered the plan for the HS2 rail line. He has recently been in the news for giving up the Labour whip in the House of Lords (though not his party membership) in order to chair the new National Infrastructure Commission, which has been set up by Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne.

Adonis is also the chair of Frontline, and MacAlister tells me in no uncertain terms that, without him, Frontline would not be prospering as it does today.

“Andrew’s got quite a rare political skill, which is he can get things done… He’s also got the ability to work party boundaries to make things happen, which is quite an admirable thing in politics.

“From the get-go, Andrew knew what was needed to get government interest, he advised me on how to build the case for change at the Institute for Public Policy Research, and also meant that throughout Frontline’s existence, we’ve been given enthusiastic cross-party support, which is still true to this day.”

 

Despite the consensus amongst political parties on the virtues of Frontline, the charity has not been free of criticism. Some social work academics have criticised the programme, accusing it of fast-tracking graduates into the highly sensitive profession of social work. There are also concerns about the balance of the social workers they recruit, as three-quarters are women.

On both of these points, MacAlister is bullish: “We have one of the most rigorous selection processes in the whole graduate market, and certainly the toughest process to get on any social work course. We look at both intellectual ability and personal qualities and attributes.

“Social workers need to have resilience, they need to have good communication skills and, most importantly, they need to have empathy and the ability to build relationships with people from very different backgrounds.

“The feedback from the local authorities we have placed them in has been very good, and there’s more demand for Frontline participants than we have participants available. There were some early sceptics, and they’ve not all gone away, but we’ve persuaded people over the years that we’re adding something to a profession that already had top quality professionals.”

MacAlister also doesn’t worry about the diversity of the intake: “One in four of the cohort are men, which is a larger proportion than on other routes in social work.

“I think part of the problem is a misunderstanding about what social work is. It often gets confused with care in the community. Sometimes people think it’s about visiting elderly people at home and [providing] meals, which is perfectly fine for people to do, but it’s not the same as child protection and child in need social work, which requires a much broader and much more demanding mix of skills that men and women both have to offer.

“All of the skills needed in a social worker are not particularly gendered so it should be the case that more men come into social work and the profession, and I think that lack of balance is due to a lack of understanding about what’s actually involved.”

 

Alice Withington, also a Manchester alumnus, was part of the first cohort of social workers, and is now working in Harrow in London, and explained why she decided to work on the front line of social work.

“I’d never considered social work before, but my dad saw an advert and suggested that I check it out, and it really sparked something in me. I knew I wanted to work with children and do something that helped disadvantaged children at home, but I didn’t know what that would look like or be.

“Seeing the advert for Frontline made me think about doing social work, and when I started looking into it, it all kind of felt very, very right, and I recognised that this is what I wanted to do. The job description really just clicked for me.”

So, is she happy with her experience of social work, after a year of training on the job?

“I won’t lie, it’s hard, but it is just so rewarding… it’s a job that’s all about relationships and people, and people are infinitely interesting. It’s a real privilege to hear people’s life stories. It’s an extremely privileged job, because people will open up a lot about their most personal details in their lives. You’re let into this secret world of their life.

“I’m not going out to make money for some CEO, I’m doing it because I want to make a difference to a child’s life, and I think Frontline provides an amazing opportunity to be able to do that.”

MacAlister is a social entrepreneur whose mind appears set on changing not just the social work profession, but assumptions about graduate life and society as a whole.

“Something that is really important for society is that more people who leave university apply their talents to public service in the broadest possible sense. If we want a society that is more equal, more mobile, and has people that better understand the nature of the challenges in the country, we need to turn the assumption in the graduate world that you go into the Big Four or into financial services, or you go into law.

“We need to turn it so that the basic norm is that people apply their talents to public service, and that it becomes something the best people are doing. The thing that’s really powerful about it is that, not only are you applying yourself to something that is socially worthwhile, you grow and develop talents you didn’t have before. This is not simply altruism, but a combination of wanting to better yourself and better society.”

 

In response to a query of whether social work has taken a hit as a result of some of the more negative headlines, Lord Adonis is unequivocal:

“I think that the challenges involved in social work have made it more, not less, attractive, because successful graduates know that they can make a difference in a crucial area that has been badly served in the past.

“When the opportunity is put before graduates, there is a very large pool who find this incredibly exciting and attractive, and the very fact that it is challenging is part of its attractiveness.”

Where does MacAlister see Frontline going in the future? Does he have the big employers in his sights?

“In the next five years, we’d like to be in Top 10 graduate employers. We should also have a huge network of people who are Frontline alumni who have had a shared experience in children’s social care; and are either still doing social work, or are setting up their own ventures, or are formulating policy, or are in positions of management and leadership in social work. And we’d like to bring more people into Britain’s toughest, but most rewarding, career.”

Applications for the 2016 intake are open now, and close on the 12th of November. More information can be found at thefrontline.org.

Stirling Prize: Substance over Style

Two weeks ago, Burntwood Comprehensive School, designed by AHMM, was awarded the Stirling Prize for Architecture. Along with the other contenders—among them NEO Bankside, Maggie’s Cancer Care Centre, and Manchester’s own Whitworth Gallery—the list is somewhat ironically similar to Whitehall’s lists of impending cuts: Health, education, arts. Indeed, RIBA’s president Jane Duncan gently hinted at a politically biased victory when she said that given the overcrowding of schools it was refreshing to see such an aspirational place of study.

Burntwood’s overall style could be described as ‘elegant-clunky’. The faceted façade is neat but the repetition of the pre-cast concrete shapes has the appearance of a nuclear resistant base. Inside the new four-storey pavilions are high-ceiling classrooms, tall glass windows with pretty views of campus-style plazas and walkways, and airy library spaces. Smart, clean, and set out like a palatial job centre, the style is not overwhelmingly impressive. It has the slightly numb calm of a modern gallery, which is almost to be expected from a firm whose catalogue includes Westminster Academy (shortlisted in 2008) and the Saatchi gallery.

However, beneath the concrete portholes lie the foundations of an important historical homage. The six new sites incorporate two original buildings by Sir Leslie Martin, built during a golden age of intelligent comprehensive design in the 1950’s. In contrast, Burntwood’s renovation was commissioned during the dying months of New Labour’s BSF (Building Schools for the Future) programme—the last major initiative to fix old and downright dangerous schools.

As it stands, the school is a testament to the art of difficult negotiation. Under BSF, schools came up with a plan and then liaised with a quango called Partnership for Schools to find the best firm to build their vision. Shortly after the Coalition was elected, Michael Gove criticised the planning process, arguing that the nine ‘meta-stages’ and host of smaller sub-stages resulted in overspending and gross bureaucracy. It was axed in 2011 —around the time of Burntwood’s initial work—and the remaining desperately incomplete projects had to bid case by case for funding.

It’s fitting that a ‘Coalition era’ building should enshrine tense political haggling. However, unlike the bickering common room of politics this came out as a concrete-clad sign of hope. Amid the beggarly bids for money forced upon over 700 abandoned school projects, AHMM persevered and found true collaborators in the invaluable advice of teachers, the commotion of student life and the historic groundwork of Leslie Martin.

The transparency of the company is also something to praise. Their website contains all the architects’ preparatory work, like elevation plans and impressionistic vistas, so anyone can browse freely at their creative process. Underneath these designs are captions that give away their grand intentions. Rooms are discussed in phrases like “transferrable space,” “circulation spaces,” “external teaching terrace,” and “interactive theatre.” Seen through this vocabulary of style, the rooms themselves devolve their use to the needs of the pupils. A humbler art of collaboration is at the core of the project and for this Burntwood was a worthy winner.

Live: Metric

9th October

The Ritz

Metric really know how to put on a show, walking out wearing comical animal head masks and holding torches, seemingly hovering across the dry ice. It looks preposterous, but the band pull it off with both panache and good humour. It also helps that they’re a ferocious live act, whisking you off your feet into outer space by way of euphoria-inducing pop. “Let’s take Mars before the Californians get it,” frontwoman Emily Haines enthuses and, for a moment, you really do believe that they can.

The old songs sound brisk and self-assured; the new songs are lithe and dazzling, as glittery as the band’s custom-made keyboard stands, adorned in sequins. Guitarist James Shaw’s otherworldly Theremin only adds to the space-age aesthetic. They storm through the sleek, strutting ‘Lie Lie Lie’ with the vigour and exuberance of a new band with something to prove. Haines even manages a few costume changes. At one point, she comes out sporting plumage decorated with multi-coloured traffic lights, looking like an extra-terrestrial peacock. Later, she wears a fluorescent green cape singing over soured, beat-heavy electropop under UV light. The rest of the band also join in the sartorial sci-fi highjinks by donning futuristic LED shades.

Metric’s gaze is set firmly on the future, even if tonight’s set harks back to the gleaming synthpop of the 1980s in the mould of Depeche Mode. There are moments that strongly recall Arcade Fire’s magnificent synth-studded ‘Sprawl II’, but for the most part, everything sounds fresh and modern. ‘Youth Without Youth’ is a terrific, galactic glam-stomper from 2012’s Synthetica, thrown in between songs reminding you that Metric were doing CHVRCHES well before CHVRCHES. The band exude confidence, maintaining an unerring level of quality throughout. If anything, they’re too professional, but they leave the audience on a tremendous high. As the band triumphantly exit the stage, Earth seems a million miles away.

8/10

Review: Black History Month student-staff networking event

The networking event at the start of Black History Month was intriguing, and I’m glad I attended it. It was my very first time meeting a number of BME staff all at once here in Manchester, which is a rare thing. I study a small course and for the past two years at university, I’ve only been taught one module by a BME lecturer. That’s how rare it is to come across BME staff.

I’m used to Black History Month being all about phenomenal individuals like Dr. King who spent years fighting for the rights of black people. Not that there is anything wrong with celebrating these historical people, but there are also other stories left untold and issues left unspoken in our current time, and I think that Black History Month is a perfect occasion to raise awareness of such issues and speak out loud.

The BME student officer did an amazing job bringing us, the students and staff, together to network. As a BME student I really appreciate the platform that was made available to meet and have a discussion with BME staff at university.  It was a thoughtful way of starting the special month, as I truly felt empowered by those who understand our lives as BME students in Manchester better than anybody else.

I hope there will be many more opportunities to meet BME staff here in Manchester.

“Black History Month reminds me how important voice is.”

When I was a little girl in primary school, my favourite gift to get was a journal or notebook with a nice pen. I would use these tools to write down my thoughts, my feelings, and the daydreams that wouldn’t leave my head. Whenever anyone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would tell them I wanted to be a writer.

My parents would smile and pat me on the head when I said this. It wasn’t that they didn’t encourage me to follow my dreams, but rather, they were looking to me to be more practical about what I wanted to be when I grew up. Writing was great as a hobby, but it wasn’t something you did as a career unless you had a profound talent. Unfortunately, I was no child prodigy.

Still, my desire to write was like a fire burning inside of me. I felt this unexplainable itch to write notebook after notebook of my thoughts. I relied on teachers to help me develop my skills further. My teachers always encouraged me to read and write. They would give me books and I would eagerly read them, sometimes finishing chapter books in one sitting just so I could have more to read the next day. And when I was really inspired by a story, I would write.

There was one problem, though. Every story I wrote about was predominantly about white characters. Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) characters were non-existent in my work. This was puzzling; I went to a diverse school and came from a predominantly black background.

After some reflections, I realised that even though my teachers meant well, the books they gave me mostly had white characters. And if there were BME characters, they were secondary and their lives were filled with struggle, pain, or trauma.

When I was old enough to do my own exploring, it was difficult for me to find books with BME characters who weren’t going through struggles that were real to me, rubbing against the internal scars of oppression that I had in my heart. It was sometimes nice to read those stories as they made me realise I was never alone, and that those scars could be healed.

However, sometimes I just wanted to read a fun and fluffy story. When dealing with those scars every day, sometimes I wanted to wrap a blanket around myself, curl up, and read a romantic comedy with a series of ridiculous events that made me laugh out loud. And when I reached the end of the book, I would sigh when the two characters admitted their love for each other and lived happily ever after. I’m a romantic at heart, and these are my favourite stories to read and write about when I crave an escape.

This is the part where I say that I know stories with BME characters like this exist. However, the young me did not know that ten years ago. All I had were the experiences fed to me through the adults in my life. Going to a school with a large BME student population but low BME teacher population meant that the adults who nurtured my writing were all white. And many of them pushed me to write about my “experience”, this being a code word for “black experience.”

Even though it wasn’t said out loud, I knew what it meant. I had to write about those personal, internal scars that I obtained as a result of growing up in racist America.

In my mind, that had been done 100 times before already. I didn’t feel like my life was as interesting as the fictional and non-fictional BME characters that were already out there. Why would anyone want to read about my life story, my thoughts, my feelings, my internal scars? If they wanted access to that, there were hundreds of stories that covered it more eloquently than I ever could.

The only thing I was good at was daydreaming about was what it was like to be in love and writing it down. But based on what I read about publishing, no one is interested in reading about BME couples falling in love with each other.

Resigned to this reality about the lack of visibility with romance novels and BME characters, I became a journalist. It didn’t take long for me to realise that it wasn’t the career for me either. So instead I fluttered off to do my undergraduate degree. My writing became impersonal and academic. Still, there was small part of me that loved to write romantic stories.

To procrastinate on my academic writing I would secretly write love stories and post them online (and no, I will not link you to those stories!) Eventually, I graduated and got my first full time job working as a mentor for teens between the ages of 14 to 18.

Writing for pleasure disappeared for me. I didn’t lose the imagination. I always had five story ideas swirling around in my head, begging to be written down. But my thought was always, “What’s the point? No one is going to read it.”

Two years after graduating from my undergraduate degree, I had the opportunity to see Cornell West and a panel of other important BME leaders speak. What he said struck me and made me rethink what it meant for me to be a writer.

He told the audience that we should not try to be like the famous people we admire. Rather, we should keep the values of those we admire in our hearts and instead find our own way of expressing our voices.

When we go to see a symphony perform, we would be quite upset to see 100 chairs of violins on stage. And when we go to hear a choir sing, we would walk out if there were only tenors performing. We go to the symphony to hear the blend of different instruments and we go to the choir to hear the richness of different voices. We go to these performances to hear the creation of harmonies and melodies that touch the core of our hearts. To be an activist, or any kind of artist, our voices must blend together to create a blend of change, love, and power. We are a choir and together, we create music.

Black History month reminds me of how important voice is. Those artists that I thought I couldn’t live up to or be like would have never been able to intimidate me if they hadn’t used their voices. What those artists had to share was important. And what I have to share is important. When I allow myself to write and I’m not afraid to let others see my words, I actively create a harmony with other black artists that is crucial to keeping the music of our history alive.

I let Black History month remind me that no one sings alone. I now realise that my voice is unique and beautiful. When I use it, I add it to a choir of people who embody the melodies of love, wisdom, and resiliency.

With music like that, the songs will live on for an eternity.

South African students express outrage at proposed increase in tuition fees

Since mid-October, South Africa has seen the largest student protests since apartheid ended in 1994. Students of seven major universities in the country have been demonstrating against the planned tuition fee increases, resulting in at least 23 arrests. Outrage among the student body began on the 13th of October, after universities proposed an 11.5 per cent increase on fees for 2016.

Ever since then, the hashtag #FeesMustFall has been trending on social media. On the 17th of October, due to several days of continued demonstrations, the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) announced the suspension of the planned 11.5 per cent increase in fees. The protests reached their peak on the 19th of October, when Wits students blocked roads and overturned vehicles off campus in Johannesburg.

Even after the Higher Education Minister, Blade Nzimande, came to a decision with university officials to cap tuition fee increases at 6 per cent for the next academic year, the student protests continued. “They know very well that we can’t afford 6 per cent. We want free, quality education,” said Vuyani Pambo, the chairperson for the Economic Freedom Fighters at Wits.

Commenting on the recent proposal to increase tuition fees, Mr Nzimande said: “Considering the current economic challenges and fiscal constraints facing the country, the department urges all university councils and management to exercise greater caution and sensitivity in the process of determining fee increases in their institutions. It’s imperative that they consult all relevant key stakeholders in order to minimise the detrimental impact on poor students.”

Reports indicate that at least 23 students have been arrested after the entrances at the University of Cape Town were blocked. As a result of this, the police got involved by launching stun grenades into crowds of protesters after the student actions were declared unlawful. Teaching was suspended at both The University of Cape Town and Rhodes University as a result of the protests.

In particular, students have voiced concern over the policy of a minimum initial payment, which comprises 50 per cent of the total annual fee. Furthermore, the students believe that the increase in tuition fees represents yet another mark of discrimination in South Africa, a country where the income inequality between black and white families is particularly prevalent.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town, Francis Petersen, expressed his discontent about the suspension of teaching, saying that this “infringes on the rights of others who wish to continue with their work” as well as describing the students’ behaviour as “unacceptable and illegal.”

After continued unrest, the protests reached both Stellenbosch University and the University of Pretoria. Lauren Hess from Stellenbosch University said: “Many students are in complete shock about the lengths management has gone to in order to not meet with students and about seeing our fellow students being put in chokeholds by police. Many are angry that their legitimate concerns have been dismissed in such a violent manner and this has cemented their resolve to make the university ‘ungovernable’.”

Album: Rudimental – We The Generation

Released October the 2nd via Asylum

5/10

We The Generation is Rudimental’s second studio album, and has been quite rightly met with some anticipation. Their debut album Home made Rudimental stand out in the world of drum and bass, a genre elicit with recycled tunes that all sound a bit ‘same-y’. However, Rudimental showed courage to be different and had the ability to do so successfully. Teaming up with big names such as Emeli Sandé, Home was an international success and lead to their second UK number one. Now, they move from an award-winning and hit-making album, to an unexperimental sound—which is at best an easy listen.

We The Generation fails to impress. Again they recruit big names, such as Dizzee Rascal, but this time nothing managed to stand out quite like ‘Feel The Love’ did. ‘Lay It On Me’ is likely to achieve chart success given Ed Sheeran’s feature; his horde aren’t exactly used to drum and bass, but are likely to follow the ginger pop god wherever he goes. Indeed, the songs appear to follow the same formulaic style as the previous album and this is a formula which sells. But are they memorable? We’re unlikely to look back at them in the near future.

Although I’ve been very negative, it wasn’t all bad. I found my feet tapping to at least one of the tracks. The title track is a jazzy number featuring up-and-coming artist, Mahalia. This track felt like a welcome relief in a sea of repetitive tunes and it’s at least positive that Rudimental’s popularity will give the unknown artists featured a platform on which to look into the limelight.

If you are looking for background music whilst entertaining friends, this might be a safe bet, but expect nothing more. I’m sure I would have enjoyed it more, were I heavily intoxicated and on a cheap student night out.

Preview: The Oresteia

As part of HOME’s opening season, The Oresteia’s themes of politics and justice make the visceral text perfect for Manchester.

First performed in 458 BC, the play is the only surviving Ancient Greek trilogy in existence. HOME have chosen to use former Poet Laureate Ted Hughes’ translation of the classic alongside a cast of six with the help of a chorus of 59 Manchester volunteers.

The central cast will be played by four actors, who between themselves will be playing a multitude of roles crossing both gender and age. This will be the third production of The Oresteia this year, having situated places such as London’s Almeida and Shakespeare’s Globe, the production coming to HOME is the only one to use a local chorus at it’s core—many of which are Manchester Metropolitan University students who are juggling with their studies as well as taking part.

The aim of the chorus is to show how ‘the people’ as a collective are the arbiters of justice both in the play and society. This is something which director Blanche McIntyre felt particularly potent about: “It is important for the production to centre around the voice of the citizens of Manchester. The people are the central driving force of each play, and our chorus form a key element of the production.”

She went on to talk about the broader significance of the play, especially in regard to the Tory Party conference demonstrations which took place within the city. “The story has parallels both in conflicts across the globe and in truth and reconciliation commissions.”

HOME has distilled the original into a stripped-back 100 minutes of pure drama. However, actor Gary Shelford, who is portraying Agamemnon, Electra, and Apollo, assured us that the epic nature of the play shouldn’t deter audiences.

McIntyre’s generous range of work covering anything from classics and rarities to new writing hasn’t gone unnoticed. In 2012 she won both the Critics’ Circle’s ‘Most Promising Newcomer’ and ‘Best Director’ in the West End Awards, on top of her renowned reputation in the industry. Getting a double First in Classics, The Guardian’s David Jays states that McIntyre “has an eye for a neglected text that speaks to the present moment.”

In regard to her latest production McIntyre says: “The Oresteia has themes running through it which have formed the bedrock of so much drama during the past 2,500 years… It feels right to be doing this in Manchester, a great city with a long, noble, and continuing history of agitation for the greater good.”

The Oresteia will be showing at HOME from the 23rd of October to the 4th of November with ticket prices ranging from £10 to £29.50.