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Month: April 2016

The Class of 2016: Manchester Tyrants

Written by Temi Sobowale on . Posted in Sport.

15th February 2015: The University of Manchester American Football Team, also known as the Manchester Tyrants, finish their disappointing 2014/15 season with a win against the Bangor MudDogs. They finished 6th in the league and held a 3W-5L record.

13th March 2016: 13 months later, the Manchester Tyrants finish their 2015/16 season again disappointed. However, this time round the Tyrants ended their season in the BUCS Northern Conference Cup Final, losing out to LJMU Fury (28-40). The Tyrants finished with an impressive 8W-0L regular season and a 1W-1L post-season. As Northern 2A Champions, they had an offence that scored 88 more, and a defence that conceded 83 less, than the divisional runners up.

In one year the Manchester Tyrants have made the impressive move from being a middle-table team, to division champions. One aspect of this improvement is accounted for by the nationwide reshuffle of the university leagues prior to the 2015/16 season. A move that saw the Tyrants drop down into Division 2: The newly-created third tier of British university football. This had the double-barrelled effect of reducing the quality of the team’s competition, at the same time as adding fuel to the new Tyrant promotion effort. They were better than the third-tier and they set out to prove that. Proof that can now be found in their undefeated regular season and a semi-final victory over the Midlands 2A Champions, the Coventry Jets, to secure promotion to Division 1.

Nevertheless, the significance of the reshuffle pales in comparison to the team dynamic. The key factor behind the Tyrants’ 2015/16 successes. Perhaps the most talented rookie class in Tyrant history, mixed with a solid core of veterans, resulting in a squad that would break the vast majority of existing club-records. While one could detail the club’s various background improvements, such as the purchase of Hudl or increased team gym sessions, the team dynamic is best reflected in the responses of the team captains when asked to give a general quote on the team:

“Watching this team transform the way it has over the last 4 years has been a privilege. It’s become a vibrant program with a strong family feel. The coaches’ determination and long hours, pushing us to work harder, have been paramount to what I can confidently say is the strongest squad we’ve ever had”. – Luke Hart (Captain)

“The team that wins games is the one that wants it the most. That doesn’t mean crying if things go badly. It’s putting the extra step in, not complaining, getting stuck in, getting muddy and sweaty and bloody and hurt. Just get on that field and do everything you can to win games”. – Phillip Carson (Captain)

“Every game has been a battle, sometimes even against ourselves yet we manage to pull through. But we’ve just been building momentum. I’m excited to show Division 1 what we Tyrants are made of”. – Lawrence Sarpong (Captain)

“I am extremely proud of the team, managing to have a perfect regular season. Gutted that I was unable to play in the final due to injury, and hated losing the final. But, the most important part of the season was getting promoted to Div 1.” – Ross McDermott (Captain/Vice-Chairman)

All in all, despite losing some key players to placement years and graduation, the Tyrants expect to hit the ground running in Division 1. However, before an off-season of monstrous feasting followed by even more monstrous gym sessions, the Tyrants are gearing up for the 2016 Christie Championships against the Universities of Leeds and Liverpool; the second oldest inter-university sports competition behind the Oxford-Cambridge rivalry. If you truly want to grasp the essence of Tyrant Football, get yourself down to Burnage Rugby Football Club on Sunday 17th April for 2PM as the Tyrants look for another clean sweep. This article will conclude with a message from Samuel Purkiss, the departing Tyrant Chairman:

“Four years ago, when I joined the Tyrants the team was in its infancy and American Football wasn’t even a BUCS sport. We trained in local parks, with only a handful of players but somehow we still made it to the national playoff quarter finals.

“The next season was extremely difficult and it was towards the end of this season that I took over as the Tyrant chairman. With the help of the committee and our head coach, Pete Birds, we set out a very ambitious 3-year plan that challenged us to go from a 0-7 season in the bottom tier of British football to promotion to Division One.

“We started this season with a very successful recruitment drive that saw us increase our coaching staff to 15 and our roster to around 70 active players. The hard work and planning put in by everybody (especially the committee and coaching staff) was rewarded with an undefeated 8-0 record in the regular season. This led us to a national semi-final against Coventry Jets where a 30-17 victory sealed our promotion to Division One.

“The BUCS national final saw us take on an old rival, LJM, who were separated from us in the last league restructure. Whilst this game sadly resulted in our only defeat of the season we finished with a silver medal and promotion a full year earlier than planned. This represents an incredible transformation and is an achievement we are all extremely proud of.

“With many of our senior players graduating this summer, next year presents a whole new set of challenges. Despite this, the very strong foundations we have put in place will hopefully allow us to achieve the targets of our next 3-year plan, which will ultimately see us promoted to the Premiership.

“My time with the Tyrants has been a real labour of love and I honestly don’t think I could be more proud of this team. It’s been quite a journey and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who I have met along the way. It’s been an honour and a privilege to serve this team and I can’t believe my time with it is over.

“Without the help we have received from the Coaching staff, the Athletics Union, the Manchester Titans and countless others, none of this would have been possible, so from everyone at the Tyrants: Thank you!

“I wish this team nothing but the best of luck in the future and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

Hedgehog cake

Written by Ellen Fouweather on . Posted in Food & Drink.

This is my granny’s recipe, so she can take the blame for the bizarre and slightly misleading name. Hedgehog cake is amazingly easy to make and seriously addictive. It is absolutely impossible to eat in moderation! I make this with drinking chocolate, as I think it makes it taste fudgier, but if you don’t have such a sweet tooth using cocoa powder instead will give it a darker richer taste.

Ingredients:

125g butter

125g caster sugar

1 egg

3 tbsp. drinking chocolate (the “just add milk” variety not the “just add water”, as contains added milk powder)

250g of plain biscuits (rich tea or malted milk work well)

Method:

Cream the butter and sugar, then add the egg and beat until smooth. Add the drinking chocolate. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and heat gently until it darkens in colour and begins to bubble, being careful not to let it burn. Break up the biscuits (the easiest way to do this is to put them in a large sandwich bag and hit them with a rolling pin). Add the biscuits to the mixture and stir until they are completely coated. Spread out the mixture on a lined baking tray and leave in the fridge to set for 24 hours.

Review: Hardcore Henry

Written by Henry Scanlan on . Posted in Film.

So we’re in Russia some time in the future and Henry is a cyborg and he’s on the run from an army of bad guys and he’s got this really hot wife who he’s trying to save and… oh, I don’t know. I really don’t know…

These were roughly my thoughts as I tried to grapple onto a storyline during the bizarre, enthralling Hardcore Henry after walking into the screening 15 minutes late. It was tough going for a couple of minutes. I had literally no idea why Sharlto Copley’s character kept getting killed but was able to respawn like Kenny from South Park, each time in a radically different guise. I had no clue why Henry (or as per the first-person viewpoint, I) had superhuman strength and an indestructible body, or why an albino telekinetic villain was trying to kill him(/me). I still don’t.

The funny thing, as I found out later, is that even if I’d seen the first 15 minutes, I’d have been none the wiser. Hardcore Henry makes no attempt to explain itself. There is no why. What’s more, however, is that this really doesn’t detract whatsoever from your viewing experience once you learn to let go of any hopes of enlightenment, which I did after about three minutes of intense and stunningly choreographed action. Unless you’re the type of person to agree to go on a rollercoaster only to complain the whole way through that it doesn’t contain enough subtext, you are going to enjoy this film. Hardcore Henry ploughs through all of its 90 minutes with such ferocity, velocity, wit and mischief that it obliterates the need for a narrative.

I’ve read reviews of this film bemoaning its lack of character development or plot cohesion, but who says every film needs those things? I’d hate to break it to Robbie Collin of The Telegraph or Jordan Hoffman of The Guardian, and I hate to name names (I really don’t), but a film doesn’t absolutely need a “plot or characters worth caring about” for it to be a success, and I don’t need to be an idiot to be titillated for an hour and a half by explosive action scenes, great one-liners, mesmerising camera work and an amazing soundtrack. But judging by both writers’ depressing and rather insulting write-ups, what I need is a good film theory course and a giant rod up my arse to put me right and ensure I don’t enjoy this kind of lowly trash anymore.

I prefer to focus on the positives. The only two performances of note in the film are both played with a devilish sense of fun. Copley, playing at least 12 different characters, enjoys the same hilarious freedom that Denis Lavant was given in Holy Motors, while Danila Koslovsky’s Scandinavian villain delivers a wealth of bad-guy-zingers with a delicious drawl. The camera-work is also pretty astonishing, managing to create something stylish and cinematic with GoPro cameras, which make for far smoother viewing than the alternative hand-held “found footage” style that otherwise might be used for the same effect. As with The Revenant recently, this is one of those films that will have you questioning just how the hell it was made.

The film is designed and structured to look and feel like a video game, and it does so thrillingly. It’s clearly sub-divided into different ‘levels’, with ‘checkpoints’ in between to space out the action, and dozens upon dozens of useless henchmen for Henry to kill in extravagant ways. There’s also a soundtrack to rival that of any video game (Tony Hawk’s Underground included), full of heavy techno or eclectic choices to accelerate or juxtapose the comically graphic violence (for instance, watch as Henry carves out the heart of another cyborg while Devendra Banhart plays overhead). Far from being a pale imitation, the film is a glorious homage to video games, which are usually far more creative than given credit for and hardly deserve to be treated with such snobbery. Nevertheless, the movie is no doubt far more enjoyable if you’re familiar with first-person shooter games and are able to spot the tropes. For those who are, nostalgia is everywhere—the sniper vision, those sweet clinking sounds of a reload. For those who aren’t, there’s plenty else to enjoy.

­So, before you read a predictably humourless review of Hardcore Henry in The Guardian, consider that the two major criticisms levelled at the film—its likeness to a video game and its lack of a substantial plot or proper characters—are well within its intentions, and consider how ludicrous it is to measure a high-octane thriller using the same metrics you’d apply to Schindler’s List. You can’t expect a fish to climb a tree, and you can’t expect Hardcore Henry to make you think too hard. If there’s one thing it did make me think, though, it’s this: film critics can be real saps.

4/5

Ladytronica: The forgotten females of electronic music

Written by Jacob Bernard-Banton on . Posted in Music.

Spare a thought for the straight white male. He’s been getting it in the neck lately, though not entirely undeservingly. There’s accusations that he’s been a little overrepresented in the realms of electronic music. It’s hard to disagree. Though Tim Hecker’s marvellous new album Love Streams received The Guardian’s 800-word Album of the Week spread, Fatima Al Qadiri’s politically-charged Brute, released only a month earlier, didn’t receive the same kind of fanfare, Brute’s lukewarm critical reception notwithstanding. The latter might seem a rather trivial and petty state-of-affairs to whinge about, but it is certainly important: 800 words is surely enough to pluck you from obscurity.

It would be stupid to dismiss all electronic music produced by men—for every Skrillex, there’s a Floating Points, a Bonobo or a James Blake—yet it’s still easy to think that electronica is exclusively staffed by them. From the off, many of electronic music’s pioneers were women. Delia Derbyshire wasn’t only responsible for the original Doctor Who theme song, as everyone cites, but also ‘Ziwzih Ziwzih OO-OO-OO’, a futuristic slice of British musique concrete that predates the hard-edged techno and—no, really—spartan hip-hop it recalls. Transgender ambient auteur Wendy Carlos famously scored Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, though her other accomplishments are suspiciously ignored. It isn’t simply that these women are forgotten; some of them are so obscure as to be easily overlooked.

San Franciscan street performer Susan Dietrich Schneider, aka The Space Lady, only came to cult status after being discovered on a compilation of outsider music. Like Derbyshire, her idiosyncratic music was strikingly ahead of its time; now everyone from Beach House to Blouse sounds marginally indebted to Schneider’s beguiling, warbling synthpop. The mononymous Erika joins Schneider as another female artist criminally kept below everyone’s radar: her improvised track ‘Solar Rise’ is a must-see YouTube video away.

Hyperdub affiliates Cooly G (an ethereal, sensual amalgam of soulful dub and twilit 2-step) and Ikonika (delightful, angular takes on future garage and house) fly the flag for astonishing contemporary UK electronica. The pair’s American “outsider house” labelmate Laurel Halo is so impressive, you wonder why it is that so many supernaturally talented women aren’t being spotlighted. Fortunately, heads are beginning to turn. One of last year’s success stories was Holly Herndon’s brutal, engaging and heady album Platform. Thanks to label 4AD’s positive backing and the utterly compelling music offered, there seemingly wasn’t a music webzine that didn’t feature her. Let’s hope the tide continues to turn.

Underdogs of 2016 show sport continues to thrill

Written by Alex Whitcomb on . Posted in Sport.

As the season draws to a close, it is time to acknowledge that this year has been like no other in living memory. A Premier League known for being dominated by a few clubs has seen a side facing relegation last year pull off one of the unlikeliest of performances.  The city known for ruling club rugby as opposed to football is on the verge of taking English football’s greatest prize for the first time in its history, and it has captured the interest of fans across the length and breadth of the country.

Underdog trophy wins like—potentially—Leicester’s are rare enough, but something on this scale hasn’t taken place in first division football for many years. You don’t have to look too far to find unlikely winners of the knockout cups in the last 10 years. Portsmouth and Wigan’s FA cups and Birmingham and Swansea’s League cup triumphs show how whilst the cups tend to be dominated by larger teams, they have retained the romance of regular giant-killings. The Premier League however, has only been won by four different teams in the last 20 years, with Blackburn Rovers title in 1995 being the last time neither Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal or Manchester City have won. Although it may seem odd now, Blackburn were not big underdogs for the league at the time they won it, coming 2nd in the Premier League the year before with Kenny Dalglish in charge and Alan Shearer their star striker. So even 1995 can’t really be compared with 2016.

It’s also worth remembering that Jamie Vardy’s story is incredible in itself. A player who was earning his keep at Fleetwood Town in 2012 is now on the verge of being the top scorer for the champions of England, which in itself is a rise worth celebrating. Breaking Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record of by scoring in 11 consecutive top flight matches generated levels of hype around an English player not seen for years. His and Harry Kane’s exploits for England have also resurrected some hope for the national side going into Euro 2016 and both have been nominated for the PFA’s Player of the Year award. The picture of English football’s two star strikers sat on the bench for Leicester in the Championship two years ago circulated social media soon after Kane’s Cruyff-esque turn and Vardy’s backheel into the German goal.

The Leicester fairytale also has its share of royal superstition surrounding their incredible run of form. King Richard III was reburied on March 22nd 2015 in Leicester Cathedral and on that day Leicester City lay stone dead last, 7 points off safety. Foxes fans will delight in telling you that from that day on they staged a staggering comeback, winning 7 times and gaining 22 points from the last 9 games, eventually finishing the season in 14th place. This season’s triumphs have been mirrored by the decline of York City—Richard’s home and where many believed that he should have been buried. York are 9 points off safety with 5 games left, and look almost certain to be relegated to non-league football, while Leicester are crowned champions of England.

However, as many a Foxes fan will surely tell you, they haven’t won it yet and would probably prefer that they weren’t damned by the ‘commentator’s curse’. Make no mistake, Leicester are showing no signs of stopping their winning streak and are clearly the favourites, but if they do happen to choke from this point onwards, it will ruin one of the best stories that football has seen for years. To save the massive disappointment of every fan of every team in the country that isn’t Tottenham Hotspur, it would be helpful if Leicester were crowned winners when they’ve actually won the thing.

Despite this, whether Leicester win or not, hopefully the concept of a “European Super League” has been surely kicked into touch. Real Madrid’s President Florentino Perez’s idea for a competition involving the top teams from across the continent replacing the Champions League would dismay anyone who has been captivated by this year’s Premier League. The principles of promotion and relegation are central to English sport and an ESL would deny this, meaning that the top prize available to English clubs would have only been available to a selected few in the year that the ESL would be set up. Leicester and Tottenham would almost certainly not have been considered and are now the undisputed title challengers. While during the years of domination by the “Big Four” of Chelsea, United, Arsenal and Liverpool the concept could have gained more ground, any attempt to form an ESL now including English clubs will be just seen as shameful opportunism by top clubs that have failed to win the league under the current system—United, City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool executives were all seen leaving a summit discussing such a move just over a month ago.

Danny Willett’s Masters victory has come at a time when the underdogs are challenging the elites, and it makes it all the more thrilling to watch. Willett’s previous best result at Augusta was coming tied for 38th last year and was never amongst the favourites prior to the competition. He wasn’t even supposed to be there with to his wife being due to give birth during the tournament but gave birth 12 days early, allowing Willett to compete for—and win—golf’s biggest prize. It’s not just his lack of pedigree at the top of the game that made it surprising, but also the fact that the event has a habit of being dominated by Americans.  Willett joins an exclusive club of two Englishmen—him and Sir Nick Faldo— to have won the Masters and is the first European to triumph since Jose Maria Olazabal in 1999.

Sport requires the possibility of an underdog being able to win, in order to keep it exciting. Modern athletes can often be reduced to market values and statistics but when it comes down to it, they are human beings and are capable of defying form, expectations and in some cases common sense in winning things that are seemingly out of reach. Leicester’s season has been a once in a generation event, but all giant killings give fans across the country the belief that makes them pay good money go to games week in week out. English football, and English sport, has needed a season like this for years, and I’m mighty glad it’s happened at last.

The End of Days: Throwing a great graduation party

Written by Alice Williams on . Posted in Lifestyle.

How to throw a great graduation party

With everyone currently knee-deep in the mire of dissertations, essays, and the inevitable exam preparation, the idea of any kind of end-of-year celebration can seem like a mere caffeine-induced hallucination. But if you’re serious about throwing a massive party to celebrate the end of your time at university, it might be worth considering a bit of planning in advance, if only to avoid the potential of sitting in Platt Fields Park with a multipack of cider, facing the yawning risk of unemployabilty ahead of you. Here are a few things that you might like to consider

Whether or not to have a theme

As tempting as it may be to theme it an End of Days party, it might not seem so funny when everyone’s six pints down, have realised the gravity of the situation and are sobbing about never seeing everyone again. Themed parties where you make everyone dress up can often go one of two ways: Either everyone gets really into it or really can’t be bothered. Make your own mind up on what the mood is likely to be amongst your friends, but after a long period of work, don’t be surprised if your insistence for fancy dress results in some very grumpy looking ‘cereal killers’ covered in the contents of their recycling box.

Where to have it

This seems like an obvious one, since whenever anyone holds a party it’s generally at their own house. However, with everyone’s rent period coming to an end, most people will be subject to house inspections from their landlords and most likely will lose their deposit if there’s damage. Either you can be willing to risk the clean up, and could perhaps move some of your things out early so there’s more space, or you could ask some of your friends who are sticking around for another year if you could have it at their house.

Massive piss up vs ‘special occasion’

Since this is likely the last time that you’ll be able to fill a massive house with loads of shouting, hammered people who you vaguely know, you might want to make the best of it and spend the evening as you would any other house party. Someone will go home with their course mate, someone will vom in a bush out the back, and things will inevitably get broken. However, if you want to herald in a new era of sophisticated gatherings, then consider having some food on the side and maybe decorating a bit. Perhaps stick up some photos from your time at uni around the house.

To eat or not to eat

Leading on from the possibility of potentially having food, consider carefully what kind of food you would serve. A safe bet is to trek to the desolate wasteland of a retail park where Iceland is and end up with hundreds of cocktail sausages and scotch eggs, half-defrosted on the side and probably accidentally covered in someone’s discarded rum by the end of the night. Perhaps even more dangerous, though, is to get overly-invested in the notion of ‘being a grown-up’ in your culinary offerings and ending up with hummus, avocado, and prawn cocktail smeared all over your walls.

It doesn’t really matter what you decide to do in the end, ultimately it’s just an excuse to get together with all the friends that you’ve made in your time at uni and celebrate the fact that you’ve somehow managed to make it through to the end of this wondrous academic experience. See you at the Curry Mile Job Centre on Monday?

Green spaces offer a calming respite from the city

Written by Tristan Parsons on . Posted in Opinion.

It was a bright day in Fallowfield. Wilmslow Road was chock-a-block with buses, cars, and people. I could see it all, the comings and goings of the day, from the sixth floor of the Tower, in Owens Park.

But I felt pent-up from within the four walls, the dirty window, and the list of readings that needed to be done. Opening my window for fresh air was not enough. I grabbed my helmet and headed to where my bike was locked up. I still couldn’t shake off the buzz as I joined the cycle lane down Wilmslow Road. I turned off onto another by the side of Wetherspoon’s, avoiding the broken glass along the way, and found myself at one of South Manchester’s finest jewels: the Fallowfield Loop cycleway.

This eight-mile-long multi-use track, stretching from Chorlton-cum-Hardy, through Fallowfield, and onto Fairfield, owes its success to two groups. With the help of funding from Manchester City Council, locally based Friends of the Fallowfield Loop maintain and promote the use of the route, while Sustrans, a national organisation, both pressure the government and raise awareness for the improvement of the UK’s cycling network.

The route follows an old railway line, filled with brilliantly messy vegetation and occasional bird calls that break the otherwise peaceful quiet. Some litter has been tossed over the bridges that span the route but that’s the best that the reality of modern Manchester can do to interrupt this place of escape.
The insinuation of a ‘return to nature’ and the idealised prospect of escape… yes, I am part of that meddling plan to replace the grey and order of our cities with green spaces. We’re determined to have our pretty parks ready for the future, to flounce around with our nuclear families and to have lattés in biodegradable cups in the independent coffee shops that grace the perimeters of these perfect parks. Here, we will meet with our multicultural friends and discuss the finer details of the new economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable urban life. Our city will be zero-carbon, on a lean low-meat, low-carb diet, and as diverse as it is inclusive, socially responsible and innovative. This will be a struggle-free, guilt-free utopia.

But a latté is an abysmal choice of drink, and that is no fair account of either the past or the future of urban sustainability. Nowhere is this more evident than in Platt Fields, across the road from Owens Park, which was, in the late 19th Century, a country park to match the mansion in ‘the fields of Platt’. As the squalor and smog of industrial Manchester swamped it, a movement grew for the land to be sold to public hands. That time came in 1908, after which it was worked on by 700 of the local unemployed and opened in 1910. Clearly, this was no act of kind-gesture by the educated class.

In this modern world, green spaces are key to urban planning, not only for their benefit to nature, but to society too. Firstly, they help to clean the air from polluting gases, which are trapped by local climates in the urban environments from which they originate. Second, green spaces help to counter the local warming effect that the urban areas have. By increasing vegetation cover, the surrounding area is cooled by the water output of that vegetation and its evaporation, just as sweat cools your body during exercise. Third, green spaces act as sponges, assisting the drainage of water and the control of noise pollution. Finally, there is the social and psychological value of having peaceful green spaces for recreational purposes. These spaces are not merely an insertion of pretty and natural commodities into our cities.
In the case of Platt Fields, local residents had immediate interests for their own health and wellbeing. The same cannot be said about urban environmentalism in 2016. The benefits of green spaces are hard to pin down and the urban issues we face today are less severe than those of the late 19th century.

Furthermore, the environmental movement is currently focused on the global. Grand UN summits appear to sort out our number one concern: climate change. In the same way, there is a sense that these processes are out of our control, e.g. China’s plan to construct 150 coal plants this year, and the deforestation of 5,831 squared kilometres of the Amazon in 2015.

I would argue that if we accept this global setting as true, we are more inclined to retreat back into a carelessness for the environment. This, together with financial difficulty and a general apathy for politics, is why the environmental movement is failing to move beyond its educated-class base.
For example, the creation of green roofs at the University of Manchester may be considered by some to be a trivial and self-indulgent move by the academic community. However this technology has the potential to be one of the most effective ways of alleviating urban flooding, household greenhouse gas emissions, energy costs, and urban biodiversity issues.

In terms of green space, Manchester is doing pretty well, with Platt Fields and the Fallowfield Loop just being two of the 130 parks in this city. But there is more to do, including the measurement of square-miles covered by greenery and a wider participation in the cause.

One of the main concerns that continue to plague modern living in the UK is urban sprawl and the stressful commutes it creates. These suburban houses and their private gardens, strewn across landscapes, divided by roads, houses, and fences, do not provide the same degree of benefit to collective urban living or the environment that larger green spaces do. Whilst it remains a respectable aspiration of the modern young Brit to one day own a house of their own, the age of achieving that goal is being pushed well into the 30s.

With housing pressure being one of today’s most pressing issues, perhaps the time has come to accept the condensing of urban housing, and, in particular for generation Y, to move beyond its depressing economic forecast to find the non-material fulfilment that public green spaces help to provide.

The difficulty with cultural appropriation

Written by Ed John on . Posted in Opinion.

Although seemingly never far from the spotlight, the debate surrounding cultural appropriation has once again reared its ugly head. Thanks in part to both Justin Bieber and a viral video (perhaps a perfect reflection of our current society), the matter has been taken to the masses with divisive results. However, with racial divisions and issues still pervading every corner of communities across the world, is the adoption of a hairstyle the most important rallying point? Or are we detracting from the real problems at hand?

On the one hand, it’s difficult not to recognise, as much as my privilege as a white, middle class male allows me to, that to many belonging to oppressed and minority groups, seeing the cultural movements you created in rebellion to a rejection from the mainstream be stripped of their emancipatory spirit and adopted by those who denied you as part of their world must be no less than infuriating.

Yet, when you consider that only a year ago the UK witnessed a 50% rise in long-term unemployment for young, ethnic minority people, culture and the appropriation of it only makes up a very small fraction of the bigger picture. This isn’t to attempt to reduce the importance of culture. For oppressed groups in particular, cultural movements and trends can be a successful way of building community where it was once denied existence.

But in the search for a more just and egalitarian society in which the concept of race and racial difference is abandoned, perhaps we should consider issues that continue to leave thousands in poverty before calling for the shaving of Bieber’s head.

Again, far from trying to ignore the issue of such appropriation, this is merely an attempt to question such events’ importance in comparison to wider social issues. After all, seeing a white celebrity able to comfortably, and with little criticism, don a hairstyle that has continually been deemed unacceptable and ‘unkempt’ when worn by those in the black community must be a hard pill to swallow. And it’s not only Bieber who’s guilty of such appropriation.

Seemingly ever on the brink of controversy, Kylie Jenner is another celebrity who’s decisions to braid her hair and increase the size of her lips have resulted in a similar outcry. Here, many people raised the issue of hypocrisy again, emphasising the acceptance of Jenner’s lips as ‘sexy’ and fashionable, while black models are continually ridiculed for the size of theirs. This hypocrisy is only highlighted on a deeper level when you consider the absence of such celebrities, who are willing to adopt the ‘edgy’ aspects of black culture, when the time comes to support meaningful campaigns such as the Black Lives Matter movement.

This point was excellently emphasised by Hunger Games actress Amandla Stenberg, whose biting criticism of Jenner’s choice of hairstyle not only transgressed her age, but hit the nail on the head regarding celebrities’ willingness to incorporate the skin deep, cool, and often sexualised elements of black culture while conveniently staying out of any debate regarding the numerous ways in which racism still pervades the communities on which they rely on for their fame.

And yet despite such an impressive and relevant criticism put forth by Stenberg, it was still guilty of attacking a celebrity for her, albeit poor and misguided, choice of fashion, rather than addressing the problems perpetuated by governments such as our own and the US that, despite their claims to the contrary, still undoubtedly operate on a foundation of racism and prejudice.

This is the real question, in my opinion. Yes, it is undoubtedly frustrating to see those from a culture responsible for oppression adopt the cultural aspects of the oppressed for their own stylistic benefit. And, yes, there is a definite case for those in opposition to such appropriation. But if we are to focus on culture and its appropriation, we must do so in conjunction with, and perhaps secondarily to, the prevalent and, in many cases, blatant racial basis of almost every institution that we so proudly hold up as the cornerstones of our society.

Unfortunately this does not seem to be the case. Going after celebrities for their poor choices can be a good tactic. After all, these are the people looked up to as role models by millions of people across the world. Changing their views and allowing them to perpetuate them via their platform can only be a good thing. But when this is done with little attention paid to those who truly cause pain, suffering and inequality amongst populations, it only cheapens the argument.

We must seek to address the issue of those who adopt only the easy, comfortable aspects of minority cultures yes, but we must remember to save some energy for the pressuring of those in power to fix their policies, rather than their hair.

Graduates might be earning less than non-graduates

Written by Emily Hulme on . Posted in News.

Data from the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) show that graduates from the lowest-performing universities were earning less ten years after graduation than non-graduates. The trend was evident in both male and female graduates, raising questions about higher education’s value for money.

The IFS carried out this ‘big data’ research to find out what hinders and helps graduate earnings. Using anonymised tax data and student loans for 260,000 students since 1998, the IFS found that earnings vary by university, degree subject and parental income.

Despite not naming all the universities used in the research, the IFS did list some Russell Group Universities, showing the London School of Economics to be the only institution where more than 10% of its female graduates earning in excess of £100,000 a year, ten years after graduating.

Predictably, the degree of choice also impacts on earning in the study; creative arts and mass communication graduates had the lowest earnings, earning around £17,000 for men and £12,000 for women, which proves to be less than non-graduate earners. But the gender pay gap seemed to be higher amongst higher earners. In stark contrast to the above, 12 per cent of male and 9 per cent of female Economics graduates were found to earn over £100,000 ten years after graduation. Medicine and law graduates earned a similar amount.

Co-author of the paper, Anna Vignoles from the University of Cambridge, said “students need to realise that their subject choice is important in determining how much of an earnings advantage they will have.” Disappointingly, the study also finds that those with parents on high incomes earn around 25 per cent more than their poorer counterparts, but if the institution and subject chosen is controlled, this can fall to 10 per cent.

NUS President Megan Dunn said: “It’s hugely disappointing to see that women and poorer graduates are facing such a massive disadvantage in the workplace.” Echoing Dunn’s sentiment, Lee Elliot Major, Chief Executive of the Sutton Trust, a group that promotes social mobility, said the study helps to “explain why social mobility remains poor in the UK, despite a big expansion in Higher Education.

“Students from better-off backgrounds are more likely to go to universities and take subjects with better career prospects. But even allowing for these choices, they still earn more, which suggests that we all need to redouble efforts to improve the networks available to undergraduates, their access to internships and their access to skills valued by employers.”

Universities Minister, Jo Johnson, said the government accepted there was still a long way to go to improve social mobility. He added: “We have seen record application rates among students from disadvantaged backgrounds, but this latest analysis reveals the worrying gaps that still exist in graduate outcomes.

“We want to see this information used to improve the experience students are getting across the higher education sector.”

On the whole, the analysis of data does suggest that higher education does pay for the majority; graduates are more likely to be in work and earn more than non-graduates. Median earnings for graduates after 10 years were about £30,000, but were £20,000 for non-graduates of the same age.

Que sera, sera, whatever will be, will be, with Rashford and Fellaini, que sera, sera

Written by Joe Murphy on . Posted in Sport.

A turbulent week ends on a high for United to ease pressure on LVG. The Quarter Final victory over West Ham United might be the saving grace Louis Van Gaal needed to keep his job as manager of Manchester United. On Sunday, three goals in a disastrous six minutes left fans furious at LVG for his bizarre tactics. Starting Michael Carrick, who is on a bad run of form and far past his best, as well as replacing Marcus Rashford with Ashley Young, created unrest among much of the fan base. When the starting lineups came through for the FA cup game at Upton Park/The Boleyn Ground, fans were pessimistic to say the least. The sheer sight of Fellaini’s name anywhere near the starting XI raises enough eyebrows, as well as Carrick ahead of Morgan Schneiderlin, and fans feared the worse against a brilliant West Ham side featuring stars in fine form at the moment such as Payet, Antonio, and weekend hat-trick hero Andy Carroll.

However, United were impressive, got a deserved win, booking their place at Wembley and suddenly, LVG appeared to be a genius. Rashford and Fosu-Mensah were again superb, David De Gea was simply brilliant, and Fellaini had a hugely influential role in keeping Noble and Payet quiet in midfield. Furthermore, he scored the eventual winner in a game that could have got away from United, particularly in the last ten to fifteen minutes. So it seems that LVG might have bought himself some time, and although qualifying for the Champions League by finishing 4th in the league is a clear priority, this piece of silverware, potentially the first since Fergie retired, might be enough to save his job for another year.

Double Dutch Delight

Another Dutchman who had a topsy-turvy week was Daley Blind. Despite having Lukaku in his pocket for the home win against Everton and starting well against Spurs at the weekend, he was torn apart by Dele Alli in the last quarter of the match. But again, Mr Versatile showed his worth by keeping Andy Carroll relatively quiet and out of the game. This is not easy, with Carroll famed for being one of the best aerial strikers around and one of the most unmarkable strikers in the league. I think he deserves a special mention, as does Timothy Fosu Mensah. Yet another Dutchman, this young lad has come through the ranks and made an immediate impression in the first team when given the chance this week. Against Spurs, he was arguably the best player for United until he was taken off injured, and impressed yet again against West Ham, showing signs of pace, strength, composure, and adventure going forward.

Rooney’s back

Another final point to take from the quarter final was the return of Wayne Rooney. Although he came on for only the last few moments against West Ham, it was good to see him back on the pitch from both a United fans point of view, as well as an England supporter’s, with the European Championships around six weeks away.

Crucial Run-in

United can now look forward to three consecutive home games, all of which they must win, against Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, and champions elect Leicester City. The gap to 4th placed Manchester City is 4 points, so United will have to hope other teams do them favours. Additionally, the Champions League semi-finals that City face could prove a welcome distraction for the Red Devils.

Peeking pervert perturbing pooping people punished

Written by Alexandra Bickell on . Posted in News.

David Brown, a 45-year-old Ph.D. student studying in Manchester, has been put on the Sex Offenders Register for five years after spying on a man going to the toilet. He has also received a year-long community order, a £60 victim surcharge and a bill for £300 for judicial costs.

The incident took place in the library toilets of Manchester Metropolitan University on January 17th of this year, although Brown does not attend this institution. The victim, who has not been named, was sitting in a cubicle in the men’s toilets of the library at around 3:30pm when he heard shuffling noises coming from nearby. These sounds were later identified as Brown climbing on the toilet in the next door cubicle.

The prosecutor, Robin Lynch, stated that the target “looked up and saw a male looking down at him.” The victim gave chase, following Brown out of the library, but could not catch him.

The man rushed to tell members of the library security team, who were subsequently able to find Brown using CCTV footage and the swipe card entry system of the library. Brown was then arrested by police but protested his innocence. Prosecutor Lynch claims that Brown stated he had been made a victim himself, of a “racially aggravated offence”, although this account was later dismissed.

As a part of the arrest, Brown’s laptop, tablet and phone were all seized and searched, but nothing incriminating or related to the crime was found on the devices. However, he was found to have 13 prior convictions, including offences for ‘dishonesty’ in 2014, which will have been taken into account when sentencing him.

The victim has reported feeling “worried” when using public toilets since the incident occurred and the judge involved with the case agreed. District Judge John Temperley said in court on the 6th of April at Manchester Magistrates’ Court that “it was an upsetting incident for the individual concerned”, as he found Brown guilty of one count of voyeurism, specifically “observing a person doing a private act for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification.”

Brown’s community order will likely severely restrict his movements and activities, whilst being on the Sex Offender Register will mean that Brown will be obligated to keep police informed of personal details, such as addresses and vehicle number plates, at all times.

25 UK universities amongst best young universities in the world

Written by Rebecca Noël on . Posted in News.

The University of Dundee placed at the top of the UK’s youngest universities in the most recent Higher Education world ranking released by The Times. The latest global list to emerge looks into top 150 under 50 institutions  with Dundee placing at number 16.

All universities appearing on the rankings are under 50 years old. Manchester Metropolitan University also made it into the top 150.

Established as an independent body in 1967, it is consistently ranked within the top 300 universities in the world and within the 39 most elite universities in the UK, including both Oxbridge and various other Russell Group institutions.

It is well respected as a public research facility and holds a good reputation for students entering traditional professions, including law, medicine and dentistry. Dundee Pharmacology graduate Mark Welsh spoke to The Mancunion about the recent news of Dundee’s success in The Times ranking: “Being a young university, I felt Dundee had a fresh attitude towards students needs.” He added that “through the student union being such a collective hub, Dundee felt like a community.”

“It is a good uni, certainly from the perspective of a science student, since there was such a push towards the research aspect, and this was reflected in the styles of teaching and lecture content.”

Alongside Dundee University’s ranking in the top ten young universities in the UK are fellow Scottish universities, Stirling, Heriot-Watt, and Edinburgh, as well as Surrey, Plymouth, Loughborough, Aston, Brunel, City (London) and Bath. The UK was noted as the most represented country on the list, with 25 universities out of the top 150, of which 22 made it into the top 100, according to editor, Phil Baty.

Additionally, half of the institutions found in the top ten are 30 years of age or under and are found in nations where investment into the creation of world-class institutions is paramount, for example, Singapore and Hong Kong.

This led Mr Baty to suggest that, despite being dominant up until now, both the United States and the United Kingdom will need to “raise their game to continue to compete in future years”.

Festival Preview: Melt!

Written by Kayleigh Brook on . Posted in Music.

Ferropolis, Germany
15th – 17th July

You’ve been to the farm. You’ve been to the soggy county showground. Now, Melt! beckons the intrepid music lover to venture to the deepest, darkest corner of Germany, to the overarching skyline of the Ferropolis open air museum.

It’s here that towering names threaten to topple even the 2000-ton mine excavators on-site, all while maintaining a friendly vibe that has seen it named one of Resident Advisor’s top festivals for the past three years.

Originally starting in 1997 and moving to its current venue in 2000, Melt! was conceived to cater to the hardcore dance fan, but has since both diversified its scope and attracted bigger stars to its stages. Headliners this year include names such as Disclosure, Jamie xx and CHVRCHES, club circuit stars to the tune of Ben Klock and Modeselektor, and nods to the fan of the alternative with Two Door Cinema Club and Tame Impala.

Of course, the venue’s uniqueness has a downfall in where it is located: situated between Berlin and Leipzig, it requires either an airport transfer from Berlin or some otherwise masochistic coach/train adventure. Any sores from travel expenses will surely be nursed by the ticket prices though: just a snip compared to similar British offerings at just over £100.

Melt! also boasts the huge benefit of a relatively small capacity of 20,000, meaning that the music connoisseur might actually be in with the chance of seeing Peaches’ gyrating nether-regions or Skepta shutting it down in the flesh.

With such a wide variety of acts on offer, it can be daunting to choose where (or with whom) to spend your precious weekend. Recommendations come in the shape of Sleaford Mods, crusty alt-punk electro-poets, dreamy electronica-meets-garage producer Gold Panda or glittering gender terrorist Peaches.

And, of course, no trip to Ferropolis is complete without laying both your soul and the soles of your dancing shoes bare on Melt!’s continuous 90-hour Sleepless Floor.

Review: MAFA Spring Exhibition 2016

Written by Ashley McGovern on . Posted in Arts.

There are very few, if any, Marxist sweet dispensers; no corner shops or kids arcade I’ve ever ventured into that stock Lenin sherbets. However, Emily Rusby’s ‘Untitled Vending Machine #1’ may have initiated a new type of socialist sculpture that caters for sweet-toothed revolutionaries. It takes the form of a classic gumball dome, and glued above the silver turning handle is a label that informs us that, inside the glass bubble, and curled within each individual plastic goody egg, is a single paper strip of text taken from The Communist Manifesto. The funfair form and the heady political content works in a few ways: It evokes ‘naive’ student politics as well as the complex legacies of all grand ideologies, which are often cut-up by supposed disciples who latch onto the odd potent phrase and forget the rest. The wit of the piece comes across even more given that the exhibition space of Manchester Academy of Fine Art’s Spring exhibition is The Portico Library on the corner of Mosley Street. Founded in 1806 and inspired by the gentlemanly seclusion of Liverpool’s first newsroom and library, The Athenaeum, it remains true to the early nineteenth-century model of the subscription library, where members had to be shareholders to access the collection. Rusby’s pay-as-you-go Left Book Club toy harks back to the social shift from exclusive readership to free public libraries.

Each year the Portico Library hosts MAFA’s student show and the works are of a high standard. As you would expect from any collection of graduate work, the gallery displays some apprentice pieces that quickly give away their artistic influence. There are colourful Matissean still lives and rainy Northern street scenes, which, except for shadowy modern cars, are exactly like the lamp-lit cobbles of Victorian painter Atkinson Grimshaw; there is one Futurist-style scene of countryside taken from the viewpoint of a passenger seat; one or two heads done with the greasy thickness of Frank Auerbach; and the odd classicised feminine portrait.

This is not to diminish some very promising and fascinating pieces. Alan Edwards’ acrylic abstracts start with rectangular De Stijl forms but contain sketches of house facades, dogs, and silhouettes where you expect undisturbed geometry. The two Wayfarer multimedia works by Henry Quick are suitably crusty and bookish. Splayed Bibles are held down with string on a smeared white board, and still visible underneath are maps of motorway routes, certain parts are covered with splodges of wax. Bridget Collin’s wintry painting on wooden board, Prague’s Snow Blanket, uses the hard verticality of her material to present a sweeping landscape view from the edges of a forest, over a snowy park and onto the rooftops of cramped city homes. The tree shapes are made by gauging into the wood, and there is a brilliant flattening of perspective. Technologies old and new are used to good effect: Glenys Latham shows four inkjet iPad sketches of waves and there are a number of well-executed traditional forms like linocuts and copperplate etchings.

Group shows like this are difficult to review; you can only give brief impressions of the artists and their works. Having said this, the show is to be highly recommended for anyone wanting to see the early works of future artists. For more information about opening times, exhibitions and library membership visit The Portico Library. Open until 30th April.

Festival Preview: ArcTanGent

Written by Adam Rogers on . Posted in Music.

Bristol, England
18th – 20th August

Returning once again to the farmlands just outside of Bristol, ArcTanGent is bringing the cream of noise-rock, post-rock and math-rock back to the UK once again, with a wealth of exclusives and rare bookings. Located a few miles south of the airport and based in the Mendip hills (areas awarded for their outstanding natural beauty), the festival is a relatively small affair running from a Thursday to a Saturday. Ticket numbers are capped at 5,000, which is a switch up from the near 100k attendees of rock festivals such as Download. The organisers somehow manage to pull absolutely interstellar bands to the line-up, with last year’s headliners including The Dillinger Escape Plan, Deafheaven, and 65daysofstatic, alongside a personal favourite of The Fall of Troy playing their album Dӧppelganger in full.

This year’s line-up seems to be stretching to even bigger and bolder heights, with tried and tested legends having already been announced, alongside some home classics. A headliner this year that has sparked excitement is American Football, who will hopefully be performing many tracks from their eponymous, and only album, perceived by many critics to be absolutely perfect. The second recently announced headliner is Canada’s ethereal and enigmatic post-rock legends Godspeed You! Black Emperor, who have been given a 2-hour set and will be bringing their full film projection setup—a phenomenon that is not to be missed.

A lot of this year’s line-up will appease those with an ear for the heavy, with UK Mathcore favourites Rolo Tomassi returning once again after surfing last year’s crowd in a dinghy, as well as Tosin Abasi’s 8-string ungodly guitar playing abilities gracing the stage with Animals as Leaders. That’s not to say there isn’t plenty of room for a softer approach, with even more UK festival exclusives coming from the emotive Japanese bands Mono and Toe alongside the recently reformed Meet Me St. Louis. ArcTanGent this year is lining up to be something really special, and with its fantastic atmosphere, it’s great value for money.

Festival Preview: Slam Dunk North

Written by Hannah Ainsworth on . Posted in Music.

Leeds, England
28th May

Despite being unfortunately situated right in the middle of exams for those of us attending university, Slam Dunk Festival never fails to draw a huge crowd regardless. As of last year Slam Dunk North expanded across Leeds city centre, returning to its original home of Millenium Square whilst encompassing most of the surrounding venues in the area. This eliminated all of the queuing and capacity issues from previous years and gives the impression that the whole city has been taken over by pop-punk.

The recently announced stage splits make the already cracking line-up even more exciting with the main stage in particular looking the best it has in years; headline-worthy acts such as Young Guns and Mayday Parade kicking the day off before Panic! At The Disco inevitably blow everyone away later on.

Over on the acoustic stage, old favourites such as the The Rocket Summer returning to the UK are bound to set hearts aflutter, whilst the introduction of artists discovered on YouTube (Bethan Leadley is definitely one to watch out for) are sure to bring a fresh feel to the festival.

The expected dose of nostalgic pop-punk is going to be present throughout the entire event, with New Found Glory, Yellowcard, Set Your Goals, Zebrahead, and too many more to mention getting the party atmosphere going. Combine this with some slightly heavier stuff from Cancer Bats and Gnarwolves for those of us who like to rock, and the likes of Bury Tomorrow and Shikari Sound System’s DJ sets on the Uprawr! stage, and Slam Dunk is set to be one party that you don’t want to miss out on.

With tickets at a reasonable £47, or £52 with afterparty (it’s a Saturday night, you have no excuse not to) for what is likely to be one of the most joy-filled, action-packed, days of your year, it’s certainly worth checking out—and if the weather is anything like last year, this will be the perfect way to kick off your summer!

Festival Preview: Green Man

Written by Jacob Nicholas on . Posted in Music.

Brecon Beacons, Wales
18-21 August

Wales’ finest musical festival returns, with a lineup showing the organisers’ increasingly more diverse and exciting tastes. Year after year Green Man seems to get better, pushing itself into new territory. Belle and Sebastian and James Blake are headlining yes, and both will likely be great, but they’re appearing alongside Kamasi Washington, a jazz virtuoso whose debut album was three hours long, as well as Michael Rother who through both Neu! and Harmonia basically invented krautrock. Couple this with its ever increasing electronic presence through the likes of Floating Points and (the somewhat self-explanatory) Awesome Tapes From Africa and you have a festival light years away from its twee, folksy beginnings.

However, the festival has managed to keep the best bits of its tamer beginnings. Chiefly, a really pleasant atmosphere that allows families to come together, and for everyone to have a great time without the usual tedious laddish pricks and rich kids in Native American headdresses. The more family oriented style means there’s more than just music – there’s a cinema tent, with highlights this year being High-Rise and The Man Who Fell to Earth, and the food is some of the best you’re ever likely to get at a festival too. Best of all though is the comedy tent. The lineup this year hasn’t been announced yet but last year Adam Buxton performed a brilliant headline set, along with sets from Holly Walsh, Rhod Gilbert and, er, Mark E. Smith. Admittedly The Fall man was being interviewed for Mojo but it was so ridiculous it may as well have been a comedy set. Green Man is a great festival constantly on the up, steadily refining itself into a wonderful, carefree weekend for genuinely everyone.

Festival Preview: Cambridge Folk Festival

Written by Jay Plent on . Posted in Music.

Cambridge, England
28 – 31 July

Let’s face it, of all the events likely to spring to mind when you say ‘summer music festival’, Cambridge Folk Festival is unlikely to be one of the first you think of, possibly not even in the Top 5. This is a shame. It’s a unique festival with a rich history, and one that, to the informed, is considered one of the finest in the country.

For over 50 years now, Cambridge Folk Festival has put on an event packed with music that ranges from Folk, Roots and Jazz, to Blues, Gospel and frankly, a baffling amount of other stuff you might struggle to categorise.

The festival never fails to electrify the music scene in Cambridge, with the run up to it accelerated by the Cambridge Band Contest, Strawberry Fair, and extensive previews and coverage by the area’s pre-eminent radio station Cambridge 105. There’s rarely a time when more is going on in the city than in the approach to Cambridge Folk Festival.

Over the years, the event has hosted hugely entertaining artists who have either achieved or gone onto achieve incredible success. Van Morrison, Wilko Johnson, Jake Bugg, Frank Turner, KT Tunstall, Dry The River, Laura Marling, The Zutons, Joe Strummer: this is just a handful of the names who have played at Cambridge Folk Festival since 2001 alone.

But equally, there are plenty of new artists to discover, and Cambridge itself is an incredibly beautiful city. It’s full of charming riverside greenery, lovely historic architecture, and a music scene ripe with talent, steadily bubbling under the city’s surface.

Cambridge may not be as swamped in musical history as Manchester is, but Cambridge Folk Festival is one of the city’s proudest and most vibrant traditions, and well worth a look.

New Street Records

Written by Oscar Talbot on . Posted in Music.

The premise behind New Street Records (NSR) is one that is so simple it is surprising that is has never been done before. A record label run by students for students, NSR draws on the large pool of talented and committed people who are enthusiastic about music. The label can give them valuable experience in a difficult industry and the chance to discover the next big thing, and now it is coming to Manchester. I met up with the directors Cameron Day and Rob Charlton to discuss the project.

Everyone involved is a student volunteer, and all the bands must have students in them. It is the brainchild of a group of Birmingham alumni, and the Birmingham branch now numbers 70 strong, from A&R all the way to a legal department.

“Because everyone is a student we understand they have other commitments, so having more people on the team means there are always people to do jobs,” explains Cameron. “With the power of students there’s so much we can do, there’s so many talented people, not only at Manchester Uni, but also at Man Met and RNCM.”

“The more the merrier! The more people we can have working with us the better. Some people know exactly what they want to do, others just want to help out. There’s no one excluded”, says Rob.

The goal is to set up a network of student-run record labels around the country that can support the vibrant student community. It’s a tried and tested technique, with Birmingham’s own Sam Jackson having released an EP, Strangers Again, under their NSR label available through iTunes and Spotify, as well as headlining at the O2 Academy at Birmingham. Physical releases are also in the pipeline, as well as the possibility of vinyl.

“Jackson’s EP is out, and we’ve been able to use really great production and awesome artwork for it,” says Cameron enthusiastically. “The guys in Birmingham said they don’t know of anyone else in the country who has a label like this.”

Of course it is no mean feat to start a record label, not least one with such a mobile workforce. “Any tips we’ve had have come from Birmingham, they’ve already gone through all the good things and the bad things to do,” says Cameron, when I ask him about the struggles of setting up a record label. It is certainly not without risk, but NSR are confident that with the support of a dynamic group of students they can achieve great things, and pick up on artists who might not have been discovered by bigger labels.

Rob explains more about what is to come in the future: “We plan to release two EPs next year, and helping people produce their own EPs. We are doing a lot of scouting for artists at the moment. We are looking for a range of genres that we can get professionally recorded, with studio sessions.”

The initial challenge with any such project is promotion, and NSR are particularly keen to get as many people as possible involved in marketing and PR, as well as any aspiring graphical artists.

Keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming launch party, which will be advertised around campus, with featured artists performing and possibly DJ sets. Rob is clearly enthusiastic: “It should be something that you don’t expect, and don’t get to see that often!”

If you want to get involved in any aspect of New Street Records contact [email protected],  especially if you are a music creator.

Same-sex schools “ill-prepared” in dealing with transgender pupils, ATL warns

Written by Elizabeth Oakley on . Posted in News.

Delegates at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) Conference on Tuesday 5th April 2016 were told that more must be done to equip teachers in dealing with transgender pupils, especially in same-sex schools. This comes at a time when more pupils are ‘coming out but are unsupported by their schools and staff.

Graham Easterlow, a drama teacher at an all-boys school in North Yorkshire, spoke about one of his pupils coming out as a transgender woman. He was quick to discover that there was “no precedence” and “no process,” leading him to believe that “schools are ill-prepared” and that “there is a blind spot on [this] particular issue.”

Mr. Eastlow also commented on the fact that some older members of staff refused to acknowledge the transition of the pupil, suggesting that the school was “pandering to a fad.” In an attempt to overcome negative and unhelpful attitudes, the Conference wanted to “deplore the paucity of meaningful and informed discussion of gender identity and trans issues within schools and colleges” in order to ensure staff are well-informed in dealing with future cases.

Adaptations to facilities are also seen as an important step in acknowledging the needs of transgender students. The Intercom Trust, an LGBT community resource centre in Dorset, maintains that the use of toilets and changing facilities are often a cause for concern because this is where trans pupils “may find themselves in vulnerable situations…where they could fall victim to unwanted attention that could (if escalated), lead to sexual bullying, assault, or other physical or emotional harm.”

The Trust also notes that members of the transgender community should be “seen and treated as a member of their true gender.”

Nick, a 15-year-old from South East England, spoke about his experience of transitioning while at an all-girls school to the Huffington Post. He said that he remembers “the deputy head telling [him] that she rang every school in the area to ask for information about the subject but no one could help her.”

He also recalls the time that he was told by a senior member of staff to “just be a lesbian and transition when [he] left school.” While Nick is appreciative of the support of the majority of the staff, he is still forced to use female toilets at school because there are no male toilets available for pupils. He describes this as being “uncomfortable” for both him and the girls, especially on ‘own clothes day’ when he is “perceived as male.”

Teachers at the ATL Conference spoke of “breaking with tradition” by introducing new provisions in schools, such as gender-neutral changing facilities and uniforms. The Conference held that teachers have a “duty to promote equality” and that facility amendments should be treated in a similar way to accommodations made for disabled pupils.

Mr Eastlow later pronounced: “I long for a point where it just doesn’t matter who you love, it doesn’t matter how you identify, but that in schools we get the best education to the young people that we can and for them to achieve the best they can be.”