Skip to main content

Day: 16 May 2016

Album: The Last Shadow Puppets – Everything You’ve Come To Expect

Written by Hannah Brierley on . Posted in Music.

A lot has changed for these two Indie heroes since their last release of ‘The Age of the Understatement’ in 2008. Miles Kane is no longer a shy stranger to the Indie music scene or being seen as Alex Turners protégée puppy. With his own successes such as ‘Come Closer’ and ‘Don’t Forget Who You Are’ since TLSP’s first release, and with Alex Turner growing ever larger with the Arctic Monkeys, this project was set up to be a spectacular pairing.

The album opens with ‘Aviation’, which feels somewhat familiar to that of a track that you’d hear from AM. ‘Miracle Aligner’ is up next, and again I’m taken back to the soundtrack of Submarine, at this moment in time I’m feeling like Alex Turner is just using up songs that didn’t quite make the cut of his other work.

The next few songs do start to take form on their own; mellow 60’s vibes come through especially in Everything You’ve Come To Expect. This song reminds me of something you’d hear at a fairground in an old film.  These similar 60’s/70’s strings and breathy vocals continue for the majority of the tracks, no future shout-your-heart-out-hits quite yet.

‘Bad Habits’ is next on the list, and probably their best from the album, it’s their most recent single from the album. It only took half the album to get a song that sounds exciting and has some back-bone to it. It’s at this point in the album where the tracks sound less of a whisper and more of a shout.

The next tracks are what I was hoping for from these two. ‘Used To Be My Girl’ sounds so much less melancholy and has a lot more oomph, and this then melts into tThe Dream Synopsist, which is the most relaxed and psychedelic on the album (but again sounds like something from Submarine).

It’s got to be questioned really, what does Kane really bring to this? Other than being a support singer and shouting a few random words here and there? (Sorry Miles.) You’d have thought after eight years of growing as musicians and having that much more experience under their belts that this album would have just a bit more substance.

But I guess if you had enough free time and such a dedicated following like Turner does, you have enough resources to release any crock of crap and it will still sell.

So is this everything I’ve come to expect?… I mean kind of, but I was hoping for a little more.

The Thermals – We Disappear

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

Released 25th March by Saddle Creek

4/10

Is there an emerging 90s emo revival on the horizon? No sooner has Yuck’s disappointing Stranger Things come along, the Thermals’ seventh album We Disappear yields ‘The Great Dying’, strongly recalling Jawbreaker: groaning, overdriven guitars, epic slow-mo drums, heavy on the cymbals, and a palpable sense of angst at its core. It is gloriously self-involved and forthright, still managing to squeeze out earworms from hulking great rock riffs. But then, solid pop songwriting is what we’ve come to expect from Portland, Oregon’s finest.

Squalling, amplified feedback and a beefy bassline set the tone for ‘Into the Code’; like torrential rain on a grey afternoon, its dense slabs of hefty grunge-pop rain over you without respite. It sums up the rest of an album that’s heavy-handed and weirdly characterless. ‘Hey You’, while certainly rousing, is raucous without any grit, loud and angst-ridden without feeling. It’s not that early-90s alt-rock isn’t necessarily an infertile area to mine for musical inspiration, but you’ve heard it all before and much, much better. Pinkerton this isn’t. Despite the decaying relationship explored on ‘My Heart Went Cold’ (“I couldn’t keep you warm, my heart went cold”), the tune is unfortunately very pedestrian.

There are some fleeting highlights. ‘In Every Way’ gets it right, predictable but fun. As does ‘Thinking of You’: memorable, economical and undemanding in the best possible way. Of course, it’s breezy stuff, though unlike other songs, its melody sticks. ‘If We Don’t Die Today’ channels late period Dinosaur Jr. with aplomb, a slice of power pop perfection and a few notches better than previous tracks; never mind that it’s so retrograde you envision it coming at you on a skateboard with washed-out, knee-cut jeans and long hair. However, the rest borders on the soporific, pithy punk rock that leaves without a trace. The listless, exhaling swoon of ‘Years in a Day’ simply evaporates into empty swathes of ambient textures and lazily strummed guitars. As it disappears and recedes into nothingness, a sudden, usual sensation takes hold of you: the song has completely slipped your mind.

Worse still is ‘The Walls’, a profoundly boring example of Gaslight Anthem-by-numbers—and the Gaslight Anthem aren’t a band anybody wants to attract comparisons with. That said, nothing here stays longer than necessary. Its brevity is a blessing and a curse: concise and punchy so as not to bore you, short enough to be entirely forgettable. Trite as it sounds, the Thermals are wearing their influences and their hearts on their sleeves like never before. We Disappear comes fed through a Big Muff distortion pedal—no subtleties in sight and scant variation. Perhaps that emo revival will have to hold off a while longer.

University cut Counselling course which “doesn’t bring in enough money”

Written by Charlie Spargo on . Posted in News.

The University of Manchester has announced its MA Counselling course is closing, with students saying they have been told it did not make enough money.

Staff and students were let know it will be replaced with research-led teaching in the next academic year, after the final cohort of students finished on Wednesday the 11th of May. It came just days before 2016’s Mental Health Awareness Week, which begins today.

An anonymous student told the MEN: “We were told that our course doesn’t bring in enough money through research.

“It’s really sad that it has all come down to money rather than providing something positive to the community.”

Photo: Time To Change

51-year-old student Sarah Ellenbogen also talked to the MEN, expressing her concern that the closure would damage mental health provision even further. “This course has given over 100,000 counselling hours all over Manchester for free.

“To rob a city of all those voluntary hours is a travesty. It’s a brilliant and inspirational course. To close it in the current climate is shameful.”

A University of Manchester spokesperson said: “After careful consideration the decision was made in September 2014 to stop admitting new students to the MA Counselling programme.

“This was linked to the Manchester Institute of Education’s commitment to focus upon research-led teaching and an associated consolidation of its contribution to the counselling profession around its doctoral programme in Counselling Psychology.

“Students remaining on the programme have continued to receive the same high level of teaching as their fellow students in previous years and we value the contribution that our counselling students make to the community through their work on a large range of projects and placements, many in healthcare settings.”

Fish Out Of Water: Radiohead Relay

Written by Pierre Flasse on . Posted in Music.

So here I am, a fish out of water, ready to tackle the nostalgia, love and hype that is Radiohead. My peers leap in surprise when I mention I’ve only listened to one song on an old Top Gear driving album, and to be honest, I didn’t really enjoy it. Join me on this eight-album odyssey, ending just before their latest, for the full, unaltered first impressions.

Pablo Honey (1993) kicks off with ‘You’ and ‘Creep’. First impression, is they don’t really have a different sound. Their sound seems “generic rock band”, but the variation comes from the composition and songwriting, not the sound. Especially visible in ‘Creep’, there is a loathing to be admired from Yorke’s vocals, and the lyrics protrude with poetry. As the album continues, I come to recognise their early sound, and can see why it took off, they’re the perfect festival band to whine along with in the warm dusk. However, it is really one sound across the album; there’s nothing ground-breaking here.

The Bends (1995) is a slightly different fish to fry. Each riff is more confident, more energetic and more positive, but the vocals seem weaker compared to the previous album. Actually, they’re not weaker, they’re just less powerful as they hit you. ‘High and Dry’ is a breath of fresh air in the album, drawing on the more lyrical and personal nature of the previous album. Despite this, a song will occasionally creep out of the mix that is completely original and inspired, and a completely different sound, in this case ‘Just’ and ‘My Iron Lung’. I’m getting near the hype, not quite there.

We’ve arrived at OK Computer (1997), known for its critical acclaim, and it’s fair to say I’m looking forward to something excellent. I’m thrown into a different world that I just wasn’t expecting. It’s confident where The Bends wasn’t, and grown from what Pablo Honey was attempting to do—it’s an entirely new sound, separate from the previous albums but more importantly from the rest of the genre. I got lost in the world of the ‘Subterranean Homesick Alien’, attention arrested by ‘Karma Police’, and was completely taken aback by the subtlety of ‘No Surprise’. I’m in the hype.

The next question is if they can follow with an album maintaining the excitement and skill put forward by OK Computer. Kid A (2000) begins with the track ‘Everything In Its Right Place’, aptly named, as this record clicks everything into place. This record is vastly more experimental with its vocoder-esque ‘Kid A’ lulling you into a background or the ‘National Anthem’ which follows as a windy-synth big band experience. ‘How To Disappear Completely’ and ‘In Limbo’ continues and indulges in the surreal noise atmosphere. I must say this is my favourite album yet.

Amnesia (2001) pushes the experimentation further than any of the previous albums. Standalone, I don’t feel it would have worked, but with the preceding discography, it flows beautifully. ‘Packt Like Sardines In A Crushed Tin Box’ is a strong opener, following the experimental sound environment of the previous albums. ‘I Might Be Wrong’ lulls me into some kind of stupor, which I then get thrown out of by the lounge-jazz extraordinaire ‘Dollars & Cents’.

My experience is somewhat similar of Hail To The Thief (2003) which is another impressive creative masterpiece. I see 2000 – 2003 as their most creative years; this is where you can see Radiohead settled in their own noise and they know exactly what to deliver and how to deliver it. They hit their stride in an expertly crafted wall of texture that won’t relent. ‘Sit Down. Stand Up’ and ‘There, There’ are both favourites for me here, as the vocals throw you in and out of the bulging structure. Yet, despite my admiration for this album, I can’t help but feel there’s a loss of momentum towards the end, the riffs and vocals feeling lacklustre to comparison of previous releases.

I begin In Rainbows (2007) cautiously. The sound has energy, that can’t be argued, but for me it’s lost the attention which it so demanded before. ‘Nude’ sparks my interest as an intimate and haunting and sparse vocal number, followed later by ‘All I Need’, which has a heavy omniscience about it that I start to enjoy, before ‘Reckoner’ takes me in for a sweeping ride. ‘House Of Cards’ and ‘Jigsaw’ rope me back in, fumbling around with a memory of their previous energy. This album is confusing for me, as some songs are fantastical, whilst others fall below par. I’m careful to listen for what made the reaction to this album so overwhelmingly positive, yet sadly, I fail to find it.

At last, the end of our journey is here with The King Of Limbs (2011). I’m thrown straight into a murmur of sound, very much at home amongst the Kid A noise with ‘Bloom’. Damn, I’m happy they brought this sound back. ‘Lotus Flower’ sets me free, and ‘Codex’ lulls me to rest. This album is a celebration of their subtleties juxtaposed with their experimental environment from early on, and frankly up there with my favourites.

Thank you for the journey, but what is the overall verdict? I’m not going to claim to be the biggest Radiohead fan—who would be after this almighty binge?—however, I now appreciate their style, their charisma and their damn good music. Kid A came out top for me with the beautiful experimentation of texture.

When they hit their stride, it was fucking awesome. I’m in the hype, honey.

Festival Preview – Parklife Festival

Written by Nirav Chande on . Posted in Music.

The inevitability of attending Parklife is fairly inescapable at this point for us students, even for those who are entering their final years at Manchester, it is somewhat of a no-brainer. While owed partly to being an entirely convenient end-of-the-year post-exams celebration, the festival has fulfilled on its reputation and has kept us coming back with stellar line-ups each year.

From what can be gauged from this year’s line-up there is plenty to indicate that it will do just that, what with being a line-up curated by The Warehouse Project, the expected cast of top DJs is enough to suggest as such. With the usual suspects of the likes of Eats Everything, Jamie xx, Dixon, DJ EZ, Jamie Jones, MK, Andy C, Hannah Wants, as well as many others who have rightfully earned permanent spots on most Parklife, WHP and other UK festival line-ups.

Of course there are those returning who, in relation to the aforementioned acts we have become accustomed to on the British circuit, will be welcomed back as somewhat unfamiliar faces, such as Kaytranada, Todd Terje and DJ Koze. However chances are the most anticipated sets, for those who have already ventured to the Heaton Park grounds before, will be from the interesting back-to backers and first-timers. Notably back-to-back sets from Armand Van Helden and Jackmaster (other Jackmaster sets are available), Four Tet and Floating Points, Seth Troxler and The Martinez Brothers and Mele & Monki’s NRG Flash, as well as the notable first appearances of the likes of Flume, Diplo, Major Lazer, Mura Masa, Black Coffee, and Jasper James.

Yet the weekend will also serve to fulfil the recurring trend of DJs ditching the decks for live performances, a trend set by the absent Disclosure and Rudimental whom have taken leave of their usual headline slots to stand watch over sister festival Wildlife, but whose shoes have been filled by Gorgon City, Sigma, Wilkinson and Maribou State. That being said, those seeking a truly ‘live’ electronic experience would do well to make it to what will probably be an unmissable set from KiNK. This is of course not to mention the homecoming Manchester alumni, The Chemical Brothers, for what has the potential to be a stirring headlining set considering their humble beginnings, playing in the hall above the Owens Park Tower canteen.

While electronic music unashamedly makes up a substantial portion of the acts over the weekend, Parklife has each year continuously sought to bring out even more interesting non-electronic headliners and acts than the year before. With the impressive showing of legendary hip-hop artists last year, the appearances of Ice Cube, Busta Rhymes and De La Soul helps to raise that bar this year. Which is not to say that Skepta and Stormzy’s main stage billings, along with the slew of stellar grime artists on the Radio 1Xtra stage don’t have the UK rap scene locked down as well. A sufficient selection of pop, rock and indie artists are present in the form of Years & Years, Wolf Alice, Circa Waves and Bastille as well as others, yet these feel relatively safe and do not stand out as much as previous bookings of the likes of Grace Jones or The Roots.

The overall line up remains formidable and the festival as whole could seem to surpass previous events if it improves in other areas. With this being the first time a specific theme and aesthetic has been showcased, in the form of the outer-space promotional imagery, it may serve to give the festival some much needed distinctive imagery for ravers to take in beyond the usual Temple and Colonnade stages, where certainly the Elrow stage will most-likely feature some colourful and densely decorated stage design, if the Spanish club brand’s stand-alone parties are anything to go by. Though logistically speaking, the kinks of travelling to and from the grounds with the Travel Pass will hopefully not be as arduous as years past, where trams broke down on the way and buses back to town were delayed to the point where people did not get back in time to gain entry to the Afterlife parties. Either way there is plenty in store here that could see this being the best Parklife to date, let’s just hope it doesn’t bloody rain!

Album: Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool

Written by Patrick Grealey on . Posted in Music.

Released 8th May via XL

Now listen here everyone, you can just take your socio-political complacency, romantic contentment and existential comfort and shove ’em, cus Radiohead are back, and this time they mean business. As summer once again rears its sweat-basted head, Abingdon’s finest have slung into our jort-clad laps what might just be the dourest album they’ve ever made, just in case anyone was planning on letting the promise of three months of beer and ice cream buoy them to a vague level of benighted happiness. Because in case you were about to forget, society’s still a moral toilet, the earth is still being choked to carcinomic death, and love is still a sadistic, chimerical fucking lie, and if you won’t take it from Comrade Yorke then who will you take it from? Maybe you all just love Big Brother after all.

But, despite having rambled thus, I actually have nothing against proselytizing and doom-mongering in popular music in principle; indeed, a sense of moral concern in any artist is to be commended (which isn’t to say that the absence of it is to be condemned). And when it’s made to sound as good as, say, Kid A did, then by all means hand me my standard-issue copy of Manufacturing Consent and point me to the nearest Green Party Conference. Judging by how A Moon Shaped Pool sounds, however, I sense that Radiohead are less energetic—if no less sure—in their convictions. With the exception of the choppy, anti-reactionary opener ‘Burn The Witch’ and the muttered, mantric anxiety-relapse ‘Full Stop’, everything moves slowly on this album, like a slightly portly middle-aged runner who sprints the first lap to prove a point and then jogs the rest. They are, I guess, getting on after all.

‘Burn The Witch’ is the least tacitly political song on A Moon Shaped Pool, in much the same way that the closer, ‘True Love Waits’ (a dull song carried by its strong lyrics but best iterated in its (at last) recorded form here on the album), is the least tacitly romantic; both are songs which have languished in the Radiohead laboratory for some time and have only now been reified on record. As such, their lyrical directness is incongruous with the meandering, free-associated, often repetitive lyrics of the other songs—younger songs written by older men.

Generally speaking, Yorke’s lyrics have never marked him as a potential candidate for Poet Laureate, but what considerable lyrical power the best Radiohead songs have had in the past has invariably derived from the adroit mobilisation of what are essentially catchphrases and often clichés. These unambiguous phrases sit in the middle of a musical context which is anything but, drawing attention with their familiarity and signifying by their redefining interplay with the rest of the lyrics and the sonic strangeness enveloping them—think ‘Little By Little’ or ‘Climbing Up The Walls’. What I’m trying to get at with all this meandering, free-associating repetition is that on A Moon Shaped Pool, the approach is far more subtle.

Which isn’t to say Radiohead have hitherto eschewed subtlety. But their best songs have never given you a choice but to listen—you can’t ignore the cosmic motion of the main motif of ‘Everything In Its Right Place’ any more than you can misunderstand its title. But on A Moon Shaped Pool, the songs let you come to them, and make you want to stay. And it’s important to do so, because their unhurried, diffuse sound-worlds’ power lies in their detail, most grippingly so on the shivering, string-borne ‘Glass Eyes’ (Johnny Greenwood you’re my hero), the ghost-jig ‘Identikit’ and the half-speed, half-finished, might-have-been trance-classic ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Thief’. While the aggregated nuances of the songs here may not be quite so seismically affecting as, say, the cosmic motion of the main motif of ‘Everything In Its Right Place’, they satisfy in a more long-range kind of way, incubating moods rather than charging emotions.

This album may be work to listen to, at least at first; but it sure ain’t hard work.

8/10

T in the Park Preview

Written by Charlie Chipchase on . Posted in Music.

One of Scotland’s major music festivals returns to its recently changed location at Strathallan Castle in Perthshire. T in the Park has always been strong in combining acts both old and new across a diverse range of styles. This year certainly does not disappoint. 2016’s line-up is undoubtedly one of the most exciting yet, bringing together some of the biggest names both from home and abroad.

The headliner that will most likely be igniting the biggest buzz across the fields is Manchester’s very own The Stone Roses. 2011 saw their triumphant ‘resurrection’ 15 years after their breakup, culminating in a series of concerts that included Coachella and our local Heaton Park. Their presence at T in the Park has been heightened because this is their only scheduled performance aside from their concerts at Manchester’s Etihad Stadium in June. More recently, the band has just released their first new material in over 20 years, leading to anticipation of a new album. 2016 is fast becoming a major year for the Roses, and T in the Park will play a significant role.

Continuing the theme of established rock legends, Red Hot Chili Peppers will also be headlining. The band have similarly upped the ante by recently releasing their first new single in four years, titled ‘Dark Necessities’. The band will be riding off the release their new album The Getaway, which is released on June the 17th. LCD Soundsystem also return after five years of disbandment, despite stating that their performance at Madison Square Garden in New York City would be their ‘last ever’.

Alongside the big names of old, T in the Park is also welcoming some of the best acts that the younger generation has to offer. Calvin Harris, Disclosure, and Chase & Status are confirmed, demonstrating the festival’s ability to incorporate acts more associated with the electronic and dance scene. This theme continues slightly further down the line-up with the likes of Jamie xx, Annie Mac, and Skream among others. It is this variety of musical styles both old and new that will make T in the Park one of the most exciting festivals this summer.

Find more details on the official website here.

When: 8th – 10th July 2016

Where: Strathallan Castle, Perthshire, Scotland

United Player Ratings: West Ham vs Manchester United

Written by Magnus Henderson on . Posted in Uncategorised.

The two sides met for the fourth time this season; drawing in December and March before United snatched a 2-1 win at the Boleyn Ground in an FA Cup replay in April. It promised to be a close game and extra incentive was provided for both clubs. For the Reds, Champions League football would be sealed with wins in the last two games of the season due to City’s slip up against Arsenal on Sunday. For the Hammers, their last ever game at the Boleyn Ground, their home for 112 years, before moving to the Olympic Stadium next season. Like against Norwich, this promised to be a good game. Unlike Norwich, this was actually a good game.

Manchester United played a very attacking starting 11, with Rooney, Herrera, Mata, Martial and Rashford all making the team. It was a statement of intent from Van Gaal. While this lifted the optimism of fans, it was quickly put in jeopardy as rumours started circulating that the Red Devils’ team bus was late (the last time that happened they got tonked 3-0 by Spurs). Not only were they late, but they had been harassed and ‘attacked’ (sort of) by drunken West Ham fans outside of the stadium, throwing bottles and other objects at the windows and shattering the outer layers of glass on the team coach. Rooney and Van Gaal spoke out before the game condemning the behaviour and fans feared that the incident may have put the players off their game.

It certainly seemed like it did for the first half. The Red Devils were torn to shreds by the Hammers’ midfield and were lucky to only be 1-0 down by the break. However, Van Gaal’s men came out of the dressing room much more motivated and looked the more dangerous going forward in the early stages of the second half. Martial hit the Hammers with two quick goals to give the travelling United faithful hope. That hope was drowned out however, as West Ham came back to win 3-2 in stunning fashion. It cannot be argued that they didn’t deserve it.

 

De Gea: 6

Couldn’t have done anything for the first two goals and was harshly criticised for the third. His back-four did not mark Reid properly and let the Kiwi fire a powerful header past the Spaniard’s left hand. Made himself big to block a shot from Carroll in a one on one in the first half.

Rojo: 4

Yet again poor. The Argentinian has no composure at the back and is wasteful going forward. It is understandable that Van Gaal wanted one more brutish defender to combat West Ham’s height from set pieces, but Rojo is clearly not as good as Borthwick-Jackson is as a left back. It was his poor clearance that led to the opening goal and he was completely destroyed over the ninety by the combination of Antonio and Lanzini.

Blind: 3

At the beginning of the season when Van Gaal continuously played Blind at centre back many fans were stating that it was an accident waiting to happen. While the Dutch holding midfielder/left back has mostly proven fans wrong, Tuesday night highlighted why Blind is hopelessly ill equipped. His positioning was awful; giving away a goal to Antonio by playing him onside and handed Carroll a one on one with De Gea in the first half for the same reason. Didn’t close Sakho’s strike down quickly enough and deflected the ball past De Gea for the opener. While he did improve in the second half, he allowed Reid the chance which won West Ham the game late on. United are desperate for a top class centre back to partner Smalling.

Smalling: 6

The only Manchester United defender that can have a reasonable amount of respect for himself. Won 5 aerials against a very physical team, however, was second place to Carroll with 9, his opposite man. Failed to organise his defence at set pieces and was guilty of, yet again, grappling players inside the box. It has been a reoccurring theme this season, conceding a penalty to Newcastle for it and will continue to concede penalties as long as he plays rugby on the football pitch.

Valencia: 5

Was reasonably industrious down the right hand side, getting forward often and making tackles high up the pitch. Gave away free kicks too often to a team of their set piece capability, one of which picked him up a booking and the other led to the Hammers’ winner. Faded as the match went on and was substituted for Januzaj for more attacking impetus.

Schneiderlin: 3

His worst game in a United shirt this season. Was completely ineffectual as an anchor and allowed wave after wave of attack batter his defence during the first half. Was meant to be marking Lanzini in the build up to the first goal but allowed the tricky Argentine space, which led to the opening goal. His passing was very wayward and was substituted at half time for Carrick, in the hope of adding some composure.

Martial: 8

Manchester’s savour (at least for a moment). The Frenchman raided down West Ham’s right flank all evening, a constant nuisance for both Antonio and Kouyaté, who had been instructed to double up on him. Was in the right place at the right time for the tap in and his cross/shot after a mazy run fooled Randolph and snuck into the back of the net. He also got back defensively and even made a clearance off the line from a Carroll header.

Rooney: 6

Was being constantly praised by the commentators for his ‘Hollywood’ cross-field passes but was inconsistent when in possession, often losing the ball or being tackled. Did well winning the ball in the build up to the second goal. Had very little influence on the game other than that. Much more needs to be delivered if Rooney wants to deserve that £300 a week contract which he has been thieving for the last two/three years.

Herrera: 4

As hard it is for me to say this, as Herrera’s biggest fan, the Spanish midfielder had a really poor game. He was dispossessed the joint highest on the pitch (4), had an awful pass accuracy of 65% and gave away too many fouls around the box, one of which led to the second West Ham goal. While the former Bilbao player needs more game time, the performances are going to need to be a lot better than the role he played on Tuesday night.

Mata: 6

One of the less rubbish players for the Red Devils; looked creative every time he received the ball. Unfortunately, that was not very often due to his isolation on the right wing. His pace does not allow him to excel in that position, like Martial does on the opposite side, however, he linked up with Rashford and Martial excellently for the opening goal.

Rashford: 6

A quite game for the Mancunian. His opposite numbers were clearly haunted by his world-class goal against them last month, and so gave the youngster very little room to manoeuvre. When he did find the space, he was dangerous. Influential in the first goal and assisted Martial for the second. Will look to get into games more in the future however.

Substitutes

Carrick: 6

Had a calming influence on the pitch and United grew in stature with his composure. However, he did little to protect the back four and failed to upset West Ham’s attacks.

Lingard: N/A

Replaced Herrera in the 82nd minute. Ran around a bit, as he does. That was about all he did.

Januzaj: N/A

Touched the ball once. I think.

 

What now?

It is hard to say. West Ham gave an incredible performance and deserved all three points; the narrative of the game was perfect for their last ever game at the Boleyn Ground. United need to regroup now and hope City slip up against a rejuvenated Swansea, while beating Bournemouth themselves. At the end of the day, Champions League football is not really that important to the fans right now. The priority is consistency in performance, something that has been significantly lacking under Van Gaal, and the majority of big clubs this season. The FA Cup would be nice, but if it meant Van Gaal staying, how happy would United fans be about winning it? It is a fascinating paradox, one which will be interestingly played out in soap-opera like fashion over the Summer, no doubt.

Live: Bloc Party

Written by Liam Killeen on . Posted in Music.

3rd December 2015

8.5/10

Bloc Party’s much-anticipated return was well worth the wait, yet their chilled out, more experimental sound split the crowd, with a sizeable amount of naysayers letting their opinions be known. They covered a good range of material, still managing to capture the energetic attitude that hasn’t faltered for over 10 years now, however their new tracks often left some unconvinced of the restyle.

Opening their set rather riskily with a new track, ‘Eden’, came as an instrumental statement from new members Louise Bartle and Justin Harris, that they could fill the indie shoes of their predecessors, and it was well received. The set that followed was rife with numerous old-but-gold Bloc Party songs to please the crowd, with interspersed new material from their upcoming 2016 album, Hymns. These new tracks went down well for the majority, even their new single, ‘The Love Within’, which has received masses of criticism for its unusual dubstep-sounding synth riff. The experimenting with loop pedals and sampling in their new material left those that came to hear only the hits at a loss, with one member of the crowd taking it upon himself to throw his shoe at the stage and declare “it’s all shite, play Helicopter.” Playing just under 20 songs with an unfaltering drive, the set left the crowd indifferently exhausted yet pleasantly surprised with ‘Bloc Party Mark II’.

The band’s chemistry felt slightly awkward at times, but with them still having only performed together for a short period, this was understandable, with Kele Okereke’s confidence overlooking this small issue. The wide range of material pleased everybody covering tracks from every album, even the angry shoeless man received ‘Helicopter’ in the encore of the set.

Bloc Party could be poised for a comeback regardless of the hesitancy many harbour over the new line-up. The band managed to reproduce the old tracks seamlessly whilst interweaving a new experimental style that can definitely be said to stem from frontman Kele’s solo pursuits. The crowd did seem to be split between those that had come for the new Bloc Party and those that just wanted the more popular hits and this, at times, did disrupt the atmosphere of the gig. Bloc Party themselves, however, lived up to every expectation and cleared any doubts about their upcoming album; let’s hope it went down in the studio as successfully as it did in the Albert Hall.

Festival Preview: Secret Garden Party

Written by Liam Killeen on . Posted in Music.

This summer the Cambridgeshire countryside will once again be host to the weird and wonderful music and art of the Secret Garden Party. Located in the small rural village of Abbots Ripton, about an hour and a half drive from London, with the theme ‘Gardeners of the Galaxy’, this year can promise to be just as bizarre as previous years where naked trampolining, mud wrestling and twerking OAPs have occurred. Secret Garden Party, in the same way that all unusual activity tastes are accounted for, covers all bases with regards camping/glamping, offering the standard two-man tent in a puddle scenario as well as ‘Boutique camping’ in Royal Safari Tents, Octopads, Tipis, Bell Tents, Lotus Tents, Vintage Showman Caravans and Yurts.

The line up for this year also caters to all musical inclinations with headliners Scottish rockers Primal Scream, Dream pop duo Air, and electronica artist Caribou. Also on the bill are indie trio Little Comets, country star Lissie, and house duo Maribou State. The festival also gives its fair share of recognition to up-and-coming artists such as folk star Billie Marten, Mercury award nominee C Duncan, and Sundara Karma.

With such an extensive line up, camping options and zany activities Secret Garden Party looks like it will live up to and even surpass previous years as it grows. Since winning Secret Productions’ Best Medium Sized Festival almost five years ago now, the festival has grown in popularity and the line up has also improved in tandem, allowing it to compete with the larger festivals. For those that want a wacky but more refined festival this year with a line-up that has both established as well as newer artists Secret Garden Party 2016 will rise to the occasion.

Working and consuming away from progress

Written by Tristan Parsons on . Posted in Opinion.

Too many people will have missed voting in the recent May elections because they were busy with their work. This common excuse may be considered weak, since polling stations were open until 10pm. However, the working day remains a deterrent, however minor, on some people engaging with the voting process. The leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, has even proposed that major election days should be national holidays.

This stands as a metaphor for the way in which the nature of our lives places strain on democracy and society. Since the 1960s and 1970s, social capital (the connections we share with each other) has been on the decline.

In his 2000 book Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam concludes that the major reason for the decline of social capital in the United States (a pattern observable in most Western developed counties) is the progress that women have made into the workplace. Before this change in the labour force, the role of the average woman in a broader societal context was the gluing together of communities and families. Therefore, when this tradition was abandoned, frequencies of community meetings, occasions of having friends over, and numbers of bowling club memberships fell.

This is a strange collision: of the liberalisation of attitude towards women, and the resulting decline of socialising, and thus the encroachment of the shackling effects of individual confinement. Of course neither I nor Putnam are placing blame on women and their dastardly escape from housewifery. Since men and women hold equal capacity for social interaction, it is far more insightful to look at this phenomenon from a gender-neutral (and indeed, non-heteronormative) perspective: because more women are working, average working hours have increased, and as a result, social capital has declined. There are other contributing factors, such as the continuing decline of memberships of trade unions since the 1970s, or low rates of couples living together.

And after the end of the workday, what are the leisure activities most practiced? The average Briton spends eight hours and 41 minutes on media devices per day. Some of the content communicated via these devices is relevant: Television is not an entirely barren desert littered with bland and meaningless entertainment, and social media is not only used for constant observation of the lives of others. But whilst it might be beneficial for one to read a book, or to engage in proactive searching for truths, rather than the passivity of social media-based news, all of these activities are of solitude.

We have built something quite frightening: A way of being that revolves around work and media. It should not surprise us, however. In the developed West, our economies are measured on production and consumption—GDP. The logical conclusion of this philosophy is that the happiest societies are those that produce and consume the most per person. However, the bulk of research points towards the opposite: The most post-materialistic of people are the happiest. Of course, at lower levels of income, financial security is essential, but research also suggests that regardless of one’s wealth, it is social connections that create happy lives.

So, striving for wealth and material consumption is misguided at the individual level. More concerning, however, is that the very means by which high GDP is achieved, namely, work and consumerism, dampen the questioning of this system. Every mass political campaign or movement is inherently social. By spending less time building up social capital, the ability of our societies to take collective action is reduced. Further to this, lower social capital means lower resilience against trouble, because people are less likely to help each other. This trouble might take an environmental form, such as droughts in the South East England or the recent floods in the North of England. Although events such as these do tend to bring communities together in the immediate sense, it quickly fades after the event.

Thus, the present economic system dampens our protest and weakens us against external threat. Media has hooked us in to lethargic hours of acceptance of our condition; governments have actively sought to reduce protest through anti-trade union laws. But the solutions cannot come from the top down. With all the challenges we face, from continuing austerity to climate change, it is imperative that this way of living is changed.

In all of this, there is a risk of romanticising the past and so reducing hope in the present. But there is hope. Today’s youth is the most connected in all of history. Despite its criticisms, social media technologies have the potential to work wonders for organisation, with Egypt’s 2011 uprising often cited as an extreme example of this.

If we can harness the good of social media (and the whole of the Internet, for that matter) when it matters, there is hope for social change: A well organised and more broadly educated public, with the capacity to motivate change.

Win the chance to DJ at Parklife

Written by news on . Posted in News.

Nando’s are giving away the extraordinary opportunity for one student DJ to perform at this summer’s Parklife festival, as well as free entry and free chicken for two.

The popular restaurant chain are planning to let one lucky Manchester student follow in the footsteps of artists such as Hudson Mohawke and Hannah Wants in playing on the Nando’s Cock O’Van stage at the festival in Heaton Park on the 11th and 12th of June.

Entrants only need to share one of their mixes, from Mixcloud or YouTube, on Twitter with the hashtag #RuleTheRoost by the 1st of June.

The mixes will then be judged by top DJ Skream who will pick the winning DJ for this once-in-a-lifetime prize which also includes free festival entry and Nando’s for two.

The competition is open to students over 18 and entrants must be available across the Parklife weekend, 11th and 12th of June, as set times are yet to be confirmed. Transport and accommodation are not included.