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Month: December 2016

Final Fantasy XV – Review

Written by Stephen Lewis on . Posted in Games.

About a year ago, in last December’s ‘most anticipated feature’, I wrote that Final Fantasy XV was my most anticipated game of 2016, and after a near ten-year wait, it finally arrived last week. Before I get into the review however, I should state that at the time of writing this, I am yet to fully beat the game; I am well into the story and am in the final few chapters, but have not reached the journey’s conclusion. What I intend to focus on here however, is whether the game is true to its opening statement: ‘A Final Fantasy for fans and first-timers’.

That message is shown proudly every time you boot up the game, right before you get to the main menu, and Square Enix have made a push to get Final Fantasy back into the upper tiers of gaming success. After the somewhat disappointing XIII Trilogy and the original version of Final Fantasy XIV Online — before being remade as the excellent ‘A Realm Reborn’ — it is not unfair to say that the franchise was starting to buckle under its own weight. But now Final Fantasy XV is out there, you can see it on most buses going up and down Oxford Road, and how does it stack up? In keeping with the idea of a game for ‘fan and first-timers’ I shall take two approaches: on one hand a review of the game for those entirely new to the series, alongside how the choices and changes might be seen to a long-time fan of the series. I myself have play a few entries before this, namely I, VI, VII, X, XIII, XIII-2 and XIV (Realm Reborn).

For those unfamiliar, Final Fantasy has largely been known as a turn-based JRPG set in either large worlds that showcase either a traditional fantasy setting — castles, wizards, crystals, etc — or a more futuristic aesthetic  — steampunk, factories, guns, motor transport, etc. XV is none of these. Instead it has tried to buck the trend and place itself as ‘a fantasy based on reality’, but what does that mean beside seeing American Express logos in shop windows and an in-game mention of Vivienne Westwood? XV is intended to be grounded in a world that could feel real, but with little dashes of magic of wonder thrown in: you could be driving your car, the Regalia, down the highway, stop off in a town, eat at a restaurant, go do some fishing and then camp one night. The next morning you might then go off in search of an astral giant that powers a city with the energy from a fallen meteor, come face-to-face with a storm god, or just ride around the countryside on a Chocobo — the big yellow birds.

For those familiar to the series this is a welcome change, and sits nicely alongside previous entries whilst offering something fresh. Whilst not identical in premise, it reminds me a bit of how the Dark Knight films tried to make a more grounded setting for Batman.

The story centres around the journey of Noctis and his three friends, Ignis, Promto and Gladiolus, as they are sent out by Noctis’s father, King Regis, to meet Luna for Noctis’s wedding. As is common in these games however, the trip takes a turn for the worse and turns into a much larger narrative, dealing with large and personal themes, ranging from a war between nations and the threat of the world ending, to how Noctis and his friends relate to one another, and individual moments like Ignis cooking dinner whilst you camp, Promto wanting to run a photo-op, or Gladio taking you out for training. Despite it being easy to discuss the larger arcs of the story, these intimate moments between friends are better experienced for yourself, and Square Enix have acknowledged this, by having Promto take photos throughout your journey that you can save to an in-game album of 150 images total. These photos are individual to each player, so no two games will have the same exact album.

From what I have played of the story so far, it has reminded me at time of the narratives of VI and X more than any others, but still retains enough of its own identity to stand by its own merits. However, I would strongly recommend that before playing you watch the Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV anime — it’s short and free on the official YouTube channel — as well as perhaps seeing the film Kingsglaive, which runs parallel to the opening of the game. Whilst not required, it certainly gives you a much better sense of who is who and what is going on in this world, as when the story begins, the four main characters have already known each other for years and it can feel a little like you’re jumping into a story that started a little before you got here.

In stark contrast to most other games in the series, combat is now fully in real time, and is somewhat similar to that of Kingdom Hearts but with a more fleshed-out system: Disclaimer: I have not played any Kingdom Hearts games, this is based off what I have seen and been told by those who have. Whilst some die-hard fans may be a little unsure of this at first, the system works very well, apart from a camera that can’t always keep up. The system is very simple to learn, but becomes deeper the more you get into it. Perhaps the only let down is the use of magic, which has been cut back to three basic elements — Fire, Ice and Lightning — and are essentially very flashy grenades that can be buffed to give added effects such as poisoning enemies, or healing your character. I could go further into the combat system, but then we’d be here for quite a while…

A final point that I only discovered whilst playing the other night is how players should react to the pacing of the game, which towards the end can get a little odd. In a reversal of XIII’s structure, the world here begins very open, and once you get to a certain point in the story it begins to shove you down more of a corridor. At this point you can start moving through the chapters at quite a clip, but then reach a place where you will be slowed down a lot, which can be a bit jarring as you are still locked on the path. The only place where I became concerned about this was when I was fighting through enemies around my level, before facing a boss that was many levels higher, and so was essentially impossible to defeat. This was the point however where I found out that from save points — there was one right before the boss — you can travel back to ‘the past’ and continue your journey in the open world from earlier, and ALL your levels and experience carry over, which was not made entirely clear. It does feel a bit odd however that to progress the story you may have to jump between the actual chapters, and the open world of the first half of the game, but you could always avoid this by just levelling up your character more than you should a little early on.

I wish I could talk more about Final Fantasy XV but then I’d be here for days trying to unravel every single element. Basically, the game is amazing but not perfect, yet the flaws are so small they fade in the background. As a jumping-off point, XV is a great place to be introduced to the series, and is also rewarding for fans. It took ten years, but it was worth the wait.

Cookie cutter perfect biscuits

Written by Lily Carden on . Posted in Food & Drink.

Are you looking for cheap yet thoughtful Christmas presents for your friends? Look no further, here’s your solution. These cookies look great and all you need to do is get together the ingredients (which I’d wager you already have) and buy a pretty tin from a pound shop or Home Sense. If you really can’t get a tin then stack half a dozen or so up on a cellophane sheet and tie with a pretty ribbon. These cookies taste great and can be personalised to taste with cocoa powder — or ground ginger for a festive spin.

Makes 12-24 depending on cutter size (one box worth plus a few for you)

Prep time: 15 minutes + 30 minute chill
Cooking time: 10-12 minutes

Ingredients:
150g soft butter
100g muscovado sugar
1 large egg
250g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
1tsp vanilla extract or paste
optional 1tbsp cocoa powder or ½tsp ground ginger

Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the egg and stir until incorporated. Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl and mix to form a dough.

Wrap the dough in cling film and leave in the fridge to firm up for 30 minutes to an hour. Meanwhile line trays with greaseproof paper.

Liberally flour your work surface and rolling pin before rolling the chilled dough to 1cm thick. Cut into your preferred shape (stars are great, as are bells and gingerbread men but if all else fails just use the rim of a clean glass). Lay the cut biscuits on the prepared trays (they don’t really spread so you don’t need to leave big gaps). Repeat until you run out of trays/dough and cook in the hot oven for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden. Transfer to wire racks to cool before packing into the tin and presenting to your friends.

Top 5: Winter Films

Written by Shema Begum on . Posted in Film.

5. Edward Scissorhands

Tim Burton’s modern fairy-tale with Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder became an instant hit. Brilliantly stylised, as the juxtaposition between the gothic mansion where isolated Edward resides, and the pastel coloured town gives the film this unusual but quirky effect. Though this is the least winter-y film in this list, the use of snow is undoubtedly iconic.

4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Based on the novel by Stieg Larsson, The Girl with the Dragon tattoo achieved critical acclaim. Rooney Mara in particular gained recognition for her role of computer hacker, Lisbeth Salander. David Fincher’s psychological thriller takes you to the snowbound country that is Sweden, where a 40-year-old disappearance case awaits. It’s intense, gripping and will certainly make you feel the winter

3.Encounters at the End of the World

Werner Herzog’s documentary looks into the lives of scientists who work at the McMurdo research base in Antarctica. The various interviews not only give an insight into the projects being worked on, but also the human psyche. Herzog’s narration is very conversational and engaging, as he explains the film isn’t about “fluffy penguins.” He further captures the breath-taking surroundings and even some aquatic life. The film shows what a winter wonderland truly is. You can find the full film on YouTube.

2. A Simple Plan

Three men stumble across a plane that has crashed, where they find millions of dollars in cash. The film follows the individuals after they decide to keep the money with the simple plan to hide it. From here the consequences of their actions begin to unravel, and the moral implications are explored. All of this is set against the backdrop of Minnesota in the winter.  A Simple Plan provides a disturbing twist on the American dream, and the frozen wastelands mirror the protagonists’ outlook on life.

1. The Shining

I usually refrain from watching horror films but this is a must on everyone’s watch list. Stanley Kubrick manages to make the ordinary seem so frightening with the meticulous care taken in crafting this film. A secluded hotel during a long Colorado winter drives caretaker Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) to insanity and he’s out to kill. Though it has grown on audiences throughout the years, The Shining is so deeply embedded in pop culture. The iconic scenes and phrases are replicated in a variety of films and TV shows. This classic is ideal for thrill seekers during these short winter days.

Live: Sampha

Written by Harrison Kersey on . Posted in Music.

23rd November at Academy 2

7.5/10

If the name Sampha rings any bells for you, it is likely due to his otherworldly guest spots on SBTRKTs eponymous 2011 debut. His smoky, tentative performances on standout tracks like ‘Something Goes Right’ and ‘Hold On’ dripped emotion and showed off a serious vocal range. Since then, Sampha has been elusive; despite his obvious star quality he has only released a six-track EP as a lead artist, otherwise sticking to features and remixes for the likes of Drake, Solange Knowles and Frank Ocean. The cover of 2013’s Dual captures this ephemeral presence — with his face in shadow, Sampha comes across as uncertain as his voice.

However, in February the man in the shadows stepped into the spotlight with the release of his debut full-length, Process. In support of the album he announced three pre-release UK shows, and after some last-minute haggling this reviewer bagged a ticket. Support was provided by Kelsey Lu, a singer and cellist from New York who has collaborated with Dev Hynes of Blood Orange. Not your typical warm-up act, Lu gave a sparse but powerful performance; alone on stage with minimal lighting effects, her rich voice captivated about half the crowd. Sadly, those who had come just for the main event were not so drawn in, with a pre-gig buzz of conversation audible throughout her set.

Support done, and after a solid half hour of setup, the time came for Sampha to take the stage. Big and broad, he didn’t look like the guy singing about his emotions on ‘Hesitant Oath’. Flanked by four musicians, including a wardrobe-changed Kelsey Lu on cello and backing vocals, he greeted the audience with a big grin and a few words of thanks before opening with a tune from the new album. Complex arrangements immediately apparent, each person on stage seemed to be playing some kind of percussion as well as their instrument. The man himself held things down on two keyboards and a drum pad, without missing a note of his stunning vocals. As the show wound on through new material punctuated with a few SBTRKT tunes (sadly just from 2013 release Wonder Where We Land), the moments which stood out most were the transitions; the shift from quiet to loud on lead Process single ‘Timmy’s Prayer’ was phenomenal, as the song moved from a low-key, woozy synth line to a climactic outburst of emotion.

Another memorable track was second single ‘Blood On Me’, a frenetic meltdown made more unnerving in live rendition. A few songs did feel a little directionless, with angsty atmospherics leading nowhere, but the consistently on-point vocal interplay between Sampha and Lu often made this forgiveable. The fact that much of the material had not been heard before also gave a sense of anticipation to the whole show, with the crowd waiting for either a new sound or a throwback tune like ‘Hold On’, neither of which ever really came. This said, there is nothing wrong with the sound of the new album; if anything its consistency should be its strength as Sampha fleshes out his sound. Based on this performance, when Process drops on the 3rd of February, I would recommend you check it out.

Meat Allergies

Written by Miriam Mizzi on . Posted in News.

Last week, I made the long overdue trip down to London to meet my brother and catch up on all the non-exciting things that work and university have been throwing at us. We sat in his favourite café, sipped on coffee, and caught up on all these non-exciting things. Our chat however, swiftly moved onto our favourite topic, food. Normally this centres on where we want to go for dinner, what we have recently been cooking, and at this time of year what meat we want for Christmas dinner. But, this time instead, he casually brought into discussion a podcast he has recently listened to which surrounded the topic of ‘becoming allergic to meat’. I instantly scoffed at the idea. What?! This couldn’t be a thing, a thing legitimate enough to be discussed on an academic podcast.

I hesitated, then asked him to go on. What I heard next was something probably up there with one of the most devastating things I have ever heard. It is, in fact, possible to become allergic to meat, affecting people in Europe, Asia, America and Africa, as well as, incredibly, 800 people around Sydney’s Northern beaches in Australia. Dr. Erin McGintee reported to CBS News about 200 cases of this type of red meat allergy among people on New York’s Long Island.

How? I hear you ask, just as I did. This is where it gets even more shocking. A link has been found between tick bites and new found meat allergies. Usually, tick bites are not harmful to humans; they cause an inconvenience but can be treated by cleansing with certain ointments. However, the Lone Star tick, which is widespread, has been seen to trigger in some cases an anaphylactic reaction. The Lone Star tick carries a sugar called an alpha-gal, which is also found in red meat. When the tick bites a person it transfers this alpha-gal into the blood stream. This person’s antibodies fight this intrusion and the next time this person eats red meat, an allergic reaction occurs.

Sydney allergy specialist Sheryl van Nunen, who first formally identified the link in 2009 explains that her patients who have become allergic to meat this way, experienced hardened swelling and a large red rash rather than the usual reaction of a small red itchy bump. They went on to experience an allergic reaction similar to that experienced by people allergic to peanuts. These symptoms are caused by too many antibodies attacking the allergen, in this case the alpha-gal. After that, each time meat is consumed, the allergen binds to the antibodies and causes the cells to release massive amounts of histamine and other chemicals to try to protect the individual. These chemicals can cause symptoms that can range from mild to severe.

Despite there being some evidence that certain meats such as poultry, and seafood may still be consumed safely, many suffers restrict themselves to vegetarian diets to remain entirely safe.  Jana Pearce who has experienced two life-threatening events told The Guardian of her difficulties: “The hardest thing is all your social life is interrupted — you can’t go out to dinner for fear of the cross-contamination. It sort of spoils the whole experience of dining out,” she said. “You have to eat very clean and you have to learn to cook again, which is the hard part.”

Much is still unknown about this bizarre occurrence, such as why some people result in becoming allergic to meat after being bitten by these ticks, and others do not. All I know is, it sounds like a nightmare.

@hungoverhabits

Christmas markets: La Cuisine Provençale

Written by Charlie Spargo on . Posted in Food & Drink.

If your cheeks are stinging from the cold, what would you choose to eat in order to get you warm and full — a German Bratwurst? Not likely.

Seen as perhaps the more grown-up part of the markets, the King Street section, with its vaguely French theme, has always been one of my favourites. To make it better, it’s also ever-so-slightly less popular: a blessing you’ll understand if you’ve ever been caught up in the hordes of increasingly desperate shoppers at the markets on a Saturday afternoon nearing Christmas.

Halfway down, in pride of place among King Street’s classy outlets, is my favourite food stall at the Christmas Markets — La Cuisine Provençale. Serving traditional food of Provence, France this is the kind of food that hits the spot for me in the midst of the chaos of the markets.

The servers are friendly and generous, each plate handed over the counter of steaming hotplates full of meat, mushrooms and potatoes with a polite “Merci”. It is their food, however, that puts any other lunchtime-offering the Christmas Markets have to shame.

I choose their Mustard Chicken every time I go. Cooked in cream and dijon mustard, the perfectly-cooked chicken is bursting with herby, French umami flavour, and at £6 for a regular, you get your carton piled high with meat for the money you spend. Each dish also comes with a free choice of garlic potatoes or fluffy spiced rice. The potatoes — piping hot and powerfully flavoured with garlic, French herbs, and spices — are in my opinion the better accompaniment to their meat dishes.

They also cater to most, if not all, dietary habits and choices. Their vegetarian main is garlic mushrooms, cooked slowly in a smooth garlic and parsley sauce which is fragrant and satisfying on a cold winter’s day, and all at £5 per regular serving. If gluten’s your problem, they also have many options for that — the mushrooms, Provençal chicken, and garlic potatoes are all gluten free.

If you ever feel like the German part of the Markets has got a little bit too much, get yourself to the calmer part on King Street. But, you’ll have to be quite quick, even when I visited early on a weekday afternoon they had run out of the tartiflette that they had on offer. Perhaps while you’re visiting, you could also treat yourself to a “special” mulled wine, made extra-specially  French with a shot of brandy, from the outlet just down the street.

Make your bright hair dreams come true

Written by Kitty Mitchell Turner on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

If hair was a game then I’ve completed all the levels. I have been every colour under the sun and gone through most hair styles from alopecia-inflicted baldness to waist length locks. For the past couple of years though, since my hair has come back, I’ve stuck to rainbow colours, and I am not alone.

Kylie Jenner, Zayn Malick and Rita Ora are just a few of those jumping on the bright-haired band wagon. But without the celebrity hairdressers or green wigs costing thousands of dollars, it is only too easy to end up with patchy, streaky, straw-like tresses. So, if you’re thinking about braving the bright, here are some tips I have learnt from personal experience (good and bad) to help you on your way.

1. Bleaching basics:

First things first, to get the right colour bleaching is unavoidable. For optimum impact you want to lift your colour to white blonde or ash. The best way to do this is to use powder bleach mixed with peroxide and NOT a blonde box hair dye. I use 9 per cent cream peroxide and blue powdered bleach, but Jerome Russell B Blonde cream bleach and bleach packets are equally effective and can be bought in supermarkets or chemists. The important thing is to leave it on for at least an hour. I should mention here that it burns, and will possibly leave your scalp rather tender and flaky, but being something that we also use to clean toilets, that’s no surprise. Whole head bleaching is not for the faint hearted, which is why the first time I bleached my hair I got my hairdresser to do it, so don’t hesitate to go to a professional if you’re nervous.

2. If at first you don’t succeed..:

If you don’t get your desired base colour i.e. it ends up yellow, streaky or with brassy tones PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PLEASE DO NOT BLEACH IT AGAIN. It won’t fix it and will leave you with cheese strings on your head that will snap off a la Georgia in Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging. If this does happen, which it shouldn’t if you have followed the instructions correctly, opt for a toner or use a purple shampoo to remove the brassy tones. Here I should also say that if you think covering the orange tinge with your bright green dye will work, it won’t. It always rears its ugly head sooner or later.

3. Cost:

Vibrant hair requires an investment of both time and money. A professional job costs anywhere between £90-£150 and takes around 4 hours. Even doing it at home can take up to 6+ hours and can cost a bomb with dye(s), toner, bleach, peroxide, gloves, tint brushes etc. Bright dyes also cost more than your classic box dye from boots, and the upkeep is more demanding (but more on that later). So before you give your heart to rainbow hair, consider the impact on your diary and wallet.

4. Brands to love and hate:

Every vibrant hair dye states their dyes are semi-permanent. The reason for this is that the more unnatural the colour, the more it fades. This said some stick more than others. I for one steer clear of Crazy Colour and Bleach London because they fade so quickly, whereas Manic Panic and Shwarpzkopf Live tend to fade with a nasty grey tinge after the first wash. My personal favourites are Directions, Pravana and Special Effects, as they last longer and are cruelty free.

5. Phone a friend:

Ask someone who dyes their hair (preferably bright colours) and is happy to rinse your head over the bath. It is a really fun activity and my go-to friend Martha is great at getting the spots at the back of my head and helping blend my colours.

Rainbow hair. Photo: The Mancunion

6. Maintenance:

To really maximise vibrancy and minimise damage and fading my recommendations are not popular. Heat should be avoided, so let your hair dry naturally and avoid styling with heat. Showering contributes massively so only wash your hair once or twice a week on a cold setting. This isn’t fun in the winter months, so make dry shampoo your new best friend and get used to quick showers, at least you’ll save money on water bills!

7. Fade:

As I have mentioned before your hair will fade quickly. I dye my hair every six weeks or so. I start by bleaching my roots then rinsing and drying my hair before dying it all over. I’m currently sporting four colours in my hair (so close to being that McFly song) which can get a bit pricey, so love every brilliant shade your hair turns. On a side note, pastel colours tend to wash out after about a week, so go for a brighter shade that fades to pastel over time to minimise effort.

8. Damage control:

All this bleaching and dying will have quite an impact on your poor head. To help keep it healthy invest in a colour shampoo and conditioner. If you are currently using Head and Shoulders or any other dandruff shampoo, bin it. It will strip your colour and natural oils leaving it dry and faded. The only time I have found it useful was removing colour when I accidentally dyed my hair black aged 13. While you’re at it, you should avoid chlorinated water too as it will sap the moisture and most of the colour from your lovely locks. Instead, invest in a serum like Moroccan Oil which rehydrates your hair and leaves it soft. It may be pricy, but it is SO worth it.

9. The less glamorous side:

Having bright hair is incredible, I get so many compliments, can coordinate it with my multi-coloured wardrobe and don’t get me started on how cool it looks in plaits. But this all comes at a price. Forget just dying your hair; your bathtub, towels, nails, sweat, t shirts, pillowcases and virtually anything else your hair comes into contact with will end up the same colour. So while some damage control is possible, just embrace it. Everything I own is pink anyway so the excess dye just adds to the fun!

10. Changing colours:

If you decide that bright hair isn’t for you, or you just want a different shade, the best thing to do is ride it out. Wait until it has faded as much as possible and whatever you do DON’T bleach over it. If you want to go back to a more natural colour bear in mind the aftermath of the bleach means it may fade faster than on a natural base, and if your bright colour was red, orange or anything else with brassy tones they may need toning out before you dye over it.

So go forth and dye my friends, though it is tough at times, it is a sacrifice one should willingly make.

2016 in Film

Written by Eliza Slawther on . Posted in Film.

2016 has been a disastrous and depressing year for many, and the unpredictable turbulence of world events has caused much divide and debate in the media. Luckily we are here in the comfort of the film section, where such issues can be brushed aside while we get cosy with a warm blanket, some popcorn and appreciate all the great film and television that 2016 has gifted us — this is with the exception of Black Mirror Series 3, which was essentially the film section’s version of Brexit.

My personal favourite film this year was the modern western Hell or High Water — something about it was intoxicatingly beautiful and profound, and has stuck with me. I was seduced by the cinematography and characterisations, and feel that it has been forgotten by many critics for the likes of Arrival and Captain America. Notable mentions go to Under the Shadow, a beautiful Iranian horror, as well as Nocturnal Animals, High-Rise and Everybody Wants Some!!.

We have also had a great year for documentaries, with Adam Curtis’ HyperNormalization taking centre stage — a dark insight into the corrupt world around us (perhaps even the film section has not been spared from the trauma of 2016 after all). Louis Theroux’s My Scientology Movie was yet another long-awaited documentary film that certainly lived up to standards.

Some of the section’s contributors have picked out their specific favourite moments in film and television this year, with Jake Sanders favouring the part in American Honey where “they sing along to Choices by E-40”, and Rosa Simonet having chosen “Any time when the camera lingers on Daisy Domergue in The Hateful Eight, particularly in the first hour of the film, or just Jason Leigh in The Hateful Eight in general”. Sadly for contributor Luke Bull, no 2016 film or television show lived up to the legacy of Seinfeld. Understandable.

Diversity in television has been another highlight of the year, with The Night Of and Atlanta standing out for their originality and showing a move away from white-washed sitcoms of the past. Planet Earth II is also back on our screens, with David Attenborough providing some stability and joy in our ever-changing world.

I would finally like to thank the contributors who have all gone the extra mile this semester and made the section so consistently full of good content, as well as Deputy Editor Shema who has not only edited the section but also written many excellent articles. We have had a range of diverse articles, from reviews of lesser-known and international new-releases, coverage of the Jewish Film Festival, Q&As with directors and re-appraisals of old classics. This year has also seen the creation of the Mancunion Film Review Show, hosted by Alasdair Bayman and Jake Sanders. The show has provided a new platform for all things film, and hosted many guest speakers, most of whom also write for the section.

Here’s to a great new year, we will be back on the 30th of January with the next print issue but will still be posting articles and reviews online over the coming weeks so make sure to keep an eye out for those.

Eliza,

Head Film Editor

Record Reappraisal: Belle & Sebastian – If You’re Feeling Sinister

Written by Joe Casson on . Posted in Music.

Released 1996 via Jeepster

Belle & Sebastian’s beloved second album opens with the hushed line ‘make a new cult every day’. For a while, this seemed to be exactly what Belle & Sebastian were doing. Their debut Tigermilk appeared out of nowhere, and was released in such limited numbers that significantly more people had heard of the record than had actually listened to it. The band’s publicity-shy image bolstered this air of quiet mystery: putting friends on their evocative artwork, the band avoided the press and mostly communicated with their fans via sleeve notes.

So it comes as no surprise that their next release, If You’re Feeling Sinister, arrived almost fully-formed as a cult classic. Even today, with its gestation illuminated by everything from Pitchfork documentaries to charming blog posts, the album feels completely unselfconscious, as if were created with nobody in mind but auterish songwriter Stuart Murdoch himself. Rendered effectively house-ridden for extended periods of time by chronic fatigue syndrome, Murdoch was led to write from the perspective of a shy outsider observing an unfamiliar world: see the yearning to “feel the city air run past your body” in ‘The Stars of Track and Field’, and the film-noir reimagining of a late-night walk home in ‘Like Dylan in the Movies’.

In reference to his songwriting, The AV Club described Murdoch as “a less bitchy Morrissey, peppering his clever lyrics with ironic barbs”. They’re half-right, capturing the playfulness of lines like “you could either be successful or be us”, or the sharp commentary about intergenerational divides in ‘Me and the Major’. But what this comment misses is just how genuine much of the lyricism is, as if it were destined to be etched into listeners’ journals. The title track takes some witty swipes at the church, yes, but it comes from a position of weariness and frustration at an institution which promises salvation but can’t even get Murdoch out of bed in the morning.

Two decades on, the recording quality hasn’t aged too well – these were the days before you could record an excellent-sounding album from your bedroom. If You’re Feeling Sinister was recorded in five days on a tight budget, and it shows; by Murdoch’s own admission, the album resembles his “strongest, yet worst-recorded, collection of songs”. At times, the album can veer towards the thin and insubstantial: folksy pop for daydreaming but little else, with Murdoch’s lyrics occasionally failing to stand out as they should.

But it was all there in Murdoch’s head, and his constant revisionism led him to release a live recording of the album in 2005 and perform it in full for a 20th anniversary show at the Royal Albert Hall in June. Aided by a larger and more experienced live band, Murdoch could finally realise the album he had envisioned years earlier, played expansively but without losing any of its delicacy or unassuming charm.

And, at its best, it really is charming: a perfectly-sequenced collection of homespun bedroom folk songs, positioned at the nexus where Dylan meets The Smiths meets The Velvet Underground. The album ebbs and flows through the brash rock and roll of ‘Me and the Major’, the hushed piano balladry of ‘Fox in the Snow’ and the morbid pulse of the title track. It’s rarely flashy, but perfectly complements Murdoch’s songwriting.

Belle & Sebastian would never quite reach the peaks of If You’re Feeling Sinister again – the next few years would see the band’s commercial stature rise but their acclaim dip, as the band experimented with democratising the songwriting process, slipping further away from Murdoch’s singular vision. Then, with 2003’s Dear Catastrophe Waitress, they tried something completely different and immersed themselves in glam and seventies pop, becoming a much brighter and more muscular band than the one Murdoch daydreamed about in his Glasgow bedroom. Perhaps that was inevitable – it seems impossible to separate Murdoch’s early songwriting from his stilted life at the time – but nothing since has fostered as much devotion as this record.

Twenty years on, If You’re Feeling Sinister remains the most singular articulation of Stuart Murdoch’s lonesome vision: a feather-light and empathetic record to cherish and obsess over.

Manchester Labour Students in disarray

Written by Jennifer Sterne on . Posted in News.

Three self-proclaimed Manchester Labour Students (MLS) activists have written an article for The Clarion, an unofficial magazine by Momentum activists, in which they outline how they used their “left caucus as a battering ram to open up an insular Labour club”, to ensure MLS moved to the left over the past year.

In recent committee elections the left of MLS won a clear majority on the new committee, and the authors of the article argue that their intention is to recount “lessons on left wing organising and the conduct of the ‘moderate’ wing of the party”.

The articles states that over the past year socialists have successfully positioned themselves in Manchester Labour Students, which they claim before had been “a notoriously Blairite grouping”, acting as “the organised right wing of Manchester Students’ Union”, and “a hotbed of party careerists with Blairite politics, and little internal democracy”.

The authors claim that from September 2015, after the election of Jeremy Corbyn and a huge influx of new members, MLS denied members’ meetings, using the Oldham West and Royton by-election campaign as their reasoning.

This is dismissed by the article which argues that instead “the MLS establishment were uninterested in building a big or active group as that would force them to work with socialists and threaten their backwards ways of operating”.

An anonymous former MLS committee member, responding to the article, stated that “the allegations in the article are unfounded and without merit.”

They added that “if people find the idea of campaigning to get Corbyn into Downing Street appalling, they are in the wrong party, and a reality check is needed if these people think that taking over a student Labour club is going to lead to the advancement of Socialism.”

As reported last year it was due to the perceived lack of organising meetings for new members the MLS that the splinter group ‘Labour Left Students for Corbyn’ (LLS) was set up.

LLS caused controversy last year when they announced plans to divide the society into two distinct groups, to encourage more left wing members to be active in MLS.

The occurrence of these events was the cause of much division throughout the last academic year, often turning bitter on Facebook and resulting in claims that senior MLS members were labelled ‘Blairite scum’.

It is claimed by the article that the second meeting conducted by ‘Labour Left Students for Corbyn’ was attended by a number of the “MLS right wingers who tried to disrupt it through disingenuous claims that they had been bullied”.

According to the three ‘Manchester Labour Students activists’, they have succeeded in ensuring “MLS has changed from a club which was essentially run by two people and only organised campaigns around election door knocking, to one with a high level of engagement and a democratic political culture”.

Last year’s Campaign’s Officer on the MLS Committee, Marley Bennett, has however expressed his disappointment at the article, co-written by people he describes as “comrades in Manchester Labour Students”.

Bennett admits that “the atmosphere in MLS meetings this past 18 months has been appalling. Political differences have been polarised, procedural complaints have been weaponised, and bullying has been targeted — and consistently ignored by some. The recent article only proves this.”

He also alleges that the architect of Manchester Labour Left Students for Corbyn, who is given praise within the article, “has serious allegations to answer”.

Despite the assertions by the authors of the article, Bennett says that claims about bullying were not disingenuous, alleging that under their influence there was a rise in “brazen misogyny”. He claims women were consistently shouted at while chairing meetings while men were met with “uncritical silence despite them conducting meetings in exactly the same way.”

Bennett adds there was often “a complete disregard for others’ mental health”, which was “characteristic of a larger personal campaign against one of our most prominent members”.

Responding to the allegations that MLS used the campaign in Oldham West and Royton by-election as an excuse to not hold meetings, Bennett said: “After the sad death of Michael Meacher, the MP for Oldham West and Royton, I believe it was right to prioritise campaigning in that constituency to ensure that UKIP did not gain another seat in Parliament.

“We were right to put not just MLS but our uni work on hold for weeks, as we had done the previous year when, after bringing literal tanks to Greater Manchester, UKIP lost in Heywood and Middleton were a mere six hundred votes from winning on our doorstep. It’s disappointing that some current and former members of MLS’s committee don’t see or remember this.”

According to Bennett, new people have simply left the meetings or felt it necessary to step back due to the atmosphere, and he admits that, while he has spent many hours campaigning for MLS, if last year had been his first year he wouldn’t have bothered.

The Mancunion approached an author of the article for a comment, but received no response. We also contacted Labour candidate for Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, Labour North West, the Labour Students national committee and the Chairs of MLS and also received no response.

Austere approach to student noise problem is not working

Written by Emma Shanks on . Posted in Features.

Noisy neighbours, spoilt streets, wakeful weekends. What else springs to mind when you picture the cherished student areas of Manchester? There is certainly no secret in telling that us students like to live by David Guetta’s famed motto, ‘Work hard, play hard’, but not, it would seem, without causing severe disturbance to others. So, this Community Week, we wonder what is being done to deal with the problem of student noise.

With a population of over 85,000 students, coming largely from The University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and The University of Salford, the sheer size of the demographic is only to be expected. But in the areas of Fallowfield and Withington, where this remains at its densest, there is just no getting away from it. These late-night parties, which leave behind messy mornings of mayhem, are beginning to take their toll on our relationship with the local community — we must look to the measures being taken to ease the tension between students and residents.

There is certainly no coincidence in the consistently sharp rocket of noise complaints received by authorities each year, as the summer comes to an end and term time comes back around. The Greater Manchester Police Fallowfield, Withington, Levenshulme & Burnage Facebook page, deeming it necessary to create their own hashtag to address the problem, posted on the 21st of October: “#NoiseNuisance is still a prevalent issue in our student community.”

Last year almost 400 properties were visited by university, police and council staff who reminded students to be mindful of their neighbours. Since the start of this academic year alone, another 64 official warnings have been issued to residents over complaints and five more student houses have fallen victim to noise abatement notices. If breached, these could end up leading to noise-making equipment being taken, exclusion from university, or even prosecution.

And yet, while it is clear that firm action is being taken to confront the concern, many members of the local area remain tormented by such anti-social behaviour, which continues to have a harmful impact on their day-to-day lives.

Councillor Nigel Murphy, Manchester City Council’s executive member for neighbourhoods, says: “We understand high spirits are often in abundance during the academic year but I would like students to remember they are part of a wider community — and as such should respect their neighbours. Inconsiderate noise, especially late at night, can be extremely distressing for residents — which is why we take the problem seriously, working alongside the police and the city’s universities to tackle the issue.”

Though however sad to say, the sense of feeling safe in one’s own area is not a claim that is being made by many local residents living in Fallowfield and Withington at the present time. Thus, it is not surprising that they have, over the years, been calling for various different programs to put a stop to the persistent problem. First up was the ‘student levy’, in which it was suggested that an annual £5 paid per student could fund a £400,000 night patrol to tackle rowdy parties, crime and litter. Then came the suggestion of a ‘citizenship test’, taken by those wishing to rent property in the area, which proposed a series of questions and situations around the topic of life within the community. However, fortunately for us, these were both rejected by the universities, who insist that they are taking matters into their own hands.

This promise came about in the form of a new trial night-time response scheme, in which bosses at The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University hired two private security guards to patrol the most affected student areas of the city. From Saturday September 17th until Saturday November 5th, the scheme employed two wardens, who made the rounds on crucial dates of the student calendar, including Freshers’ Week and Halloween. In an effort to clamp down on noisy nuisance and discourage boisterous behaviour, they were instructed to pay particular attention to the list of top ten roads for rowdy parties, released by council officers in June 2015, including Egerton, Granville, and Amherst.

A spokesperson for the universities explains that the purpose of this new program was “to provide initial responses and early intervention to evidence noise and other anti-social behaviour. This complemented the residents’ complaints phone helpline (recorded messaging service) operated by Manchester Student Homes on behalf of the two universities.”

He added that they remain “committed to ensuring harmonious relationships between students and the community, working with partners and through residents’ forums to ensure noise complaints and anti-social behaviour are kept to a minimum. We undertake intensive work to educate our students and take action to prevent incidents from taking place”.

But what exactly is it that constitutes, for these residents, such considered disorderly conduct? Without a doubt, those out-of-control house parties of 200 or more people spilling out onto the streets and plaguing the peace of the community do exist and do wreak havoc for all those living in the surrounding areas. But does this then mean that those wanting to politely play some inoffensive music after dark on the weekend must live in the shadow of these selfishly set examples?

Photo: Paul Sableman @Flickr

We chatted with English Literature student, Eliza Slawther, who has had some bad experiences with neighbours this year in Fallowfield.

“We’ve never had any parties but the boys I live with have quite loud speakers and they sometimes play music during the day. One time they banged on the wall so we turned it down. We’ve bumped into them a few times and they’ve told us that they have work, so asked that we not play music.”

In a genuine attempt at negotiation, she recounts her neighbours’ harsh response: “We were planning a birthday party for one of the boys and told them, so they’d be aware. They said that if we went ahead with the party they’d immediately phone the police. They complained to the council and the university, and our letting agent sent us a letter saying we could face eviction if it continued.”

When asked how Eliza felt this had affected her relationship with them, she replied, “we initially felt angry and wanted to be even louder just to annoy them but realised that would never solve the problem, so now I think everyone in my house just feels quite resentful.”

All she asks for is “some cooperation in terms of coming to a compromise, e.g. allowing noise to go on later Friday or Saturday nights as long as neighbours have a few days’ notice. I do feel bad for people who have to get up early for work but it is also annoying living in a house where you can’t even listen to music without getting complaints.”

It seems then, perhaps, that those few unruly cases, which do require the necessary reaction of brutal force that they come up against, end up branding all students with a regrettably ruined reputation and are therefore driving the wedge between university and the local community even further.

The spokesperson for The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University admits: “The majority of students live respectfully in the community and continue to bring many positive benefits” and that it is merely “a minority that can cause noise complaints.” Such as is the case with Eliza, we can see a rapidly growing issue worsening to the point that, even for the well-behaved students, neighbourly relations are destined to fall flat from the word go.

There is certainly an argument to be made that the strict sanctions in place merely serve to aggravate the hostility. Instead of improving local community rapport with the university on arrival, it is all too often the case that students are just warned to keep quiet or face prosecution. What happened to prevention being better than cure?

For Saffa Mir, this year’s Community Officer at The University of Manchester, whose key role is to act as a go-between in bringing students and the local community closer together, this is central to solving the problem: “There’s a lot of emphasis around the aftermath of what to do with students that act with this behaviour, but I’m trying to focus on the positives.”

“The reasons these tensions exist are because you’ve not created that relationship with your neighbour and your community, so they’re less likely to like you. Fundamentally, I’m not saying don’t have a party, I’m totally against saying that — enjoy yourself, that’s why you’re here at university — but let’s create those relationships!”

Last year, the police and council workers spent the best part of Freshers’ Week visiting students in the worst affected areas of Fallowfield and Withington, warning them to respect their neighbours or face the consequences. However, the fact of the matter is that even though this is important, little is being done elsewhere, in anticipation of such scenarios, to promote mere friendly exchange between the two parties.

It is for this reason that Community Week, running from Monday the 5th of December till Friday the 9th of December, has been set up to help overcome the negative misconceptions that some residents have about students living within the community. The array of events on offer, including mass clean-ups, a ‘Hidden Gems’ tour of the city and an interfaith evening, seek to integrate the student and local resident populations by giving them both the chance to work on a range of community-led projects together.

“My biggest thing was that a lot of students volunteer and a lot of local community members volunteer but not together, and a lot of students don’t volunteer for the community in which they live (not to say that one volunteering is better than any other). So, we’ve got things like cleaning the park — residents can complain about students making litter or whatever but if they’re sat there with you cleaning it up, you can’t really complain about them because they’re with you.”

Aside from Community Week, Saffa has plenty more lined up to keep her busy in the coming term. She has been coordinating a collaboration with the Fallowfield Community Guardians to gain an insight into understanding the situation from an alternative perspective of those most affected. In addition to this, she has been hard at work on another pre-emptive strategy for when students first move into new houses in the local area.

“The plan in second semester, ready to roll out for Welcome Week the next academic year, is to get the university to send out resources to houses encouraging you to get to know your neighbour — something as simple as a postcard with ‘hello’ on it — you don’t even need to speak to your neighbour, you just post it straight through their letterbox.” Rather humbly, she adds: “I don’t think I can change the world with this one week but every little helps and hopefully it can become a long term thing!”

By reaching out to students more, and encouraging the creation of cordial neighbourly relationships within the local community, before any troublesome situations might arise, we can move closer to establishing a communally cohesive neighbourhood: an environment that would be mutually beneficial for everyone involved.

Most students are, after all, good neighbours and it is a real shame that a small minority are there to cause all the problems. Nevertheless, we hope that Saffa and her team will harness the power to change this, and at last set in motion a shift towards a caring community, so that we can all finally get a good night’s sleep — if that is what you are looking for.

Student Spotlight – House of Flying Daggers

Written by Harrison Kersey on . Posted in Music.

Our spotlight this week falls on House of Flying Daggers, a dancehall night run by a crew of Manchester students hailing from south London. Having climbed the ranks of student promo companies in quick time, HoFD have gone from throwing packed out parties at Fallowfield’s famous Koh Tao, through less student-focused venues like South nightclub and Mint Lounge, to even getting a supporting slot on David Rodigan’s Ram Jam at Warehouse Project. To find out more about this student success story, The Mancunion spoke to founding member Jacob about what to expect from a Flying Daggers event.

“Our nights propound a vibe which celebrates the dancehall and bashment genres, and their evolution in the UK scene, from dancehall through to jungle and now the more contemporary genres of funky and grime. To reflect this, our nights tend to begin with dancehall and end in darker grime & funky vibes.”

There is a good chance you will have seen Flying Daggers promotional material, whether on campus or decorating a wall near you. The distinctive artworks draw inspiration from East Asian tradition, which underlies part of the Flying Daggers philosophy:

“To us, daggering is a martial art. The kind of tekkers exhibited on the dance floor of a good DJ is comparable to the physical power and technical skill of martial artists.”

Having staged nights not just in Manchester but also in their native south London at Brixton’s Phonox, as well as in Leeds, it is clear that the HoFD crew are doing something right. Their next party is scheduled for Thursday the 8th of December at Rusholme’s Antwerp Mansion, with Boiler Room graduate Champion and Manchester legend Chimpo set to bless the decks, as well as the Flying Daggers resident DJs. For any London heads in the mood for some festive daggering, they are also returning to Phonox on the 27th of December.

If you are looking to switch up your night out from Manchester’s ubiquitous house, techno and tech-house to something with a bit more flavour, do yourself a favour and enter the House of Flying Daggers.

Feature: David Mancuso – the New Yorker who taught the world how to party

Written by Robert Firth on . Posted in Music.

When David Mancuso died in November, he was hailed by disco pioneer Nicky Siano as “the father of all dances.”

It all began with a ‘by invitation only’ party Mancuso held on Valentine’s Day 1970, in the loft space of his apartment at 647 Broadway. The Loft, as his parties became known, reinvented clubbing in New York City in the early 1970s. While at the outset they were fortnightly, as the parties grew in popularity, Mancuso started to host them weekly, drawing people back with his eclectic music selection and the uninhabited atmosphere.“I wanted it to be private, because the loft was also where I slept, where I dreamt, everything,” said Mancuso of the ‘by invitation only’ format.

Mancuso shunned making selections by genre and played everything from country to progressive rock, as well as popular disco hits. This versatility is encapsulated in a story about Mancuso once playing ‘America’ from West Side Story at sunrise, towards the end of one of his mammoth sets. He also eschewed mixing, usually playing songs in their entirety.

After he played the virtually unheard of ‘Soul Makossa’ by Cameroonian musician Manu Dibango at one of his loft parties, it became the first song ever to break into Billboard 100 without prior radio play. Mancuso showed labels and musicians they could bypass radio and go straight to DJs and the party goers they played to for recognition. Subsequently, he helped found the New York Record Pool, as a direct way for artists and labels to issue music to DJs.

Dancing was central to Mancuso’s parties at The Loft. For him, the dancers should become part of the performance and the DJ’s role was to facilitate this.  In Tim Lawrence’s Life And Death On the New York Dance Floor, 1980-1983, Louis Lee Jr. describes the variety of animated dancing that took place:  “You could find people doing tap dancing, you saw people doing ballet, you would see gymnastics, you would see early aerobics.”

The freedom of the dancing was enabled by the safe atmosphere that Mancuso created at The Loft. Many of the guests, who Mancuso handpicked, were gay, or black or both and the ‘by invitation only’ loft parties were one of the few places they could gather and dance in safety. As Mancuso explains, “People just want to have a good time. They want to feel safe and have a good time. That’s always rule number one for a place: to be safe.”

Amongst the black, gay attendees were the young future, house and disco pioneers Frankie Knuckles and Larry Levan. The success of The Loft parties, particularly Mancuso’s ability to keep them within the law by not selling food or drinks, inspired these DJs and the clubs they would play at in the 1980s such as Paradise Garage.

Mancuso’s ‘by invitation only’ parties continued till his death, with events in London and Tokyo, in addition to New York. The philosophy never changed. “It’s more of a personal thing” he said in a rare 2004 interview. “To support a lifestyle and to share moments with my friends through music. What connects the clubs and everything else together is the music.”

Shoryu

Written by Felix Sanders on . Posted in Food & Drink.

On Wednesday there was a screening of the film Akira at a bar called in the Northern Quarter called Texture. It was part of an ongoing film night called Screened, where a group of people put on events to showcase films they love. Akira is a seminal piece of animation, based on an incredible six-part Manga by Katsuhiro Otomo. The event was an example of people appreciating a culture different from their own, wanting no more than to share it with the world, and of British people appreciating something brilliantly Japanese, that only Japan could do justice to.

In 1976 Japan Centre Food Hall came to London. They arrived with the mission statement of being ‘passionate about delivering a rich variety of quality Japanese goods to shoppers in the UK and beyond’. Japan Centre would go on to start Shoryu, a chain of ramen restaurants, and somewhere between 1976 and 2016, something went wrong.

The excitement around the Mancunion Food Desk was palpable. It seemed amazing, ramen had finally arrived in Manchester, that ineffable alchemy of broth and noodles.. When I finally got a table on a calm Wednesday evening, I was presented with one of the more abhorrent displays of service I have ever witnessed. If you want to see what a front house team can really do, go in at 10:15 on a Wednesday night. Admittedly, it is a nasty time to arrive, the kitchen was evidently in full clean down the waiters and waitresses were sweeping and refilling sesame oil dispensers. It is a ramen bar, therefore it has an open kitchen, so I got to watch the chefs sneezing, eating their dinner and dropping chopsticks on the floor.

There were six beers on the menu, they had run out of all except one Japanese craft beer made from sweet potatoes that cost £6.50 for 330ml bottle, it tasted fine. And to be honest, £40 for two bowls of ramen and a two beers is daylight robbery, I left there feeling embarrassed and hollow, like I’d just been mugged. I think it was a sign that we shouldn’t have drunk the beer in the first place, our waitress brought them over with bottle caps still in place. We ordered a seafood ramen and their signature ganso tonkotsu ramen, when our bowls arrived they were both ganso tonkotsu. I was glad to see the extra bowl not going to waste, I got to watch a waiter sit down just in front of me and have his dinner, as I sat there hungry and food-less. The whole meal was a bit of a joke, this is the typical chain insidiousness I would expect from somewhere like Wagamama. I had so much faith in Shoryu, people queued for three hours for those bowls, poor them.

I’m angry because ramen is my favourite food in the world, I’ve had bowls from the motherland, from Fukouka AKA Tonkotsu City AKA home of the ramen stadium, a floor of a shopping mall dedicated to tonkotsu broth. Shoryu is supposedly based on the tonkotsu style of ramen from Hakata, a ward of the City of Fukuoka. I failed to see the comparison, despite the Shoryu website insisting their broth is curated by an executive chef who is from there, this broth may well have come from concentrate.

The price is a huge factor in the taste of the meal. The average cost of a bowl of ramen in Japan is about £5.00 and at Shoryu you’re paying easily double, if not more. I suppose you have to make allowances for importing Japanese ingredients, but at the same time, Shoryu has eight outlets? Surely they can drive some costs down with wholesale purchases. I think it unfair that they profit from customers ignorant of the discrepancy between good, serious ramen and the Shoryu variety. It is a joke: boycott Shoryu, go to Siam Smiles if you want noodles in broth.

Say one is willing to ignore both the service and cost and judge the place by the content of its bowl. They seem very proud of how rich their broth is, but I just don’t think it anything to be proud of. It is like sipping a rich sauce, it is overindulgent, brash and unrefined. The noodles were distinctly OK, with seemingly to much fuss over how you would like your noodles cooked. The egg was probably the best element. So congratulations, they have mastered the soft boiled egg, they don’t bother to season it though. The pork slices was average at best, tasting like they could have come out of a packet, or having fallen from of a Subway sandwich, been left on the pavement for a day, then picked up and eaten. Or, as Marina O’Loughlin said in 2012: “The chashu pork in the tonkotsu has a greyish, cheap roast dinner quality.”

It is comforting to see they have maintained a certain level of consistency, not wanting to upset customers by making their food taste any better. And beware the floating bits of rubber masquerading as scallops and squid in the seafood broth… BEWAARRREEE.

SPOTY: Rio 2016 athletes dominate shortlist

Written by Alex Whitcomb on . Posted in Sport.

After another spectacular year of British sport, the BBC have finally announced their nominees for the Sports Personality of the Year Award. Unsurprisingly, after becoming the first country to ever improve on home games, most of those on the list competed in Brazil over the summer.

The bookies’ favourite to win — a record third title — is Andy Murray. Murray won Wimbledon for the second time in July, and followed this up by retaining his Olympic gold medal and then becoming Britain’s first ever ATP world number one.

Triathlete Alistair Brownlee and distance runner Mo Farah are also fancied as favourites by the bookmakers.

Manchester-based cyclists Laura and Jason Kenny have also been nominated, and both will be hoping to be the third cyclist in six years to win the award. Jason equalled the British record for career gold medals, and Laura became Britain’s most decorated British female Olympian.

The only two nominees not to have competed in Brazil over the summer are the footballers Gareth Bale and Jamie Vardy, for their efforts in Euro 2016 and the Premier League respectively.

The three Paralympians on the list — the same number as in 2012 — are Sophie Christiansen, Kadeena Cox and Dame Sarah Storey, the latter of whom became Britain’s most successful female Paralympian this year.

Gareth Bale in action for Wales, Photo: Jon Candy@flickr

An impromptu (and thoroughly unscientific) straw poll of the Mancunion Sport team showed Murray to be the clear favourite, with Jamie Vardy a distant second. Though if anything, the British public have proved with their choices for the names arctic research vessels, among other things, that they must never be underestimated in their ability to defy all expectations with a free vote.

This year’s shortlist also shows the contrast between British sport now, compared with twenty years ago.

In 1997 — also the year in which lottery funding was extended to professional sport — the winner was Greg Rusedski, whose highlight of the year was finishing as runner up at the US Open. It is not unreasonable to suggest that this would not even have qualified him for the shortlist this year.

This year, the sporting success proved so great that the BBC had to enlarge the number of nominees to 16, and even this did not allow for the full extent of British sporting success.

One notable omission is Team Sky’s Chris Froome, who managed to win the yellow jersey of the Tour de France for a third time and a bronze medal in the Olympics. Currently, only four men have ever won le Tour (legitimately) more times than Froome, and he is rightly considered to have become a great of the sport. His omission shows how tough it was for the judges to narrow down the list to only 16.

Chris Froome at the 2016 Tour de France, Photo: Dave Paterson@flickr

This year’s judges came from a variety of sectors of media and sport. The panel included up of previous nominees for the award, representatives from BBC Sport and BBC 5Live, and the Chief Executive of UK Sport.

This mixed panel selection process has been used since 2012, after the previous year’s award was criticised for having an all-male shortlist. The 2011 Sport Personality shortlist was selected by 27 newspapers and magazines sending in a shortlist of ten nominees, and the final list being drawn from these lists. It came under scrutiny when it transpired that men’s magazines Nuts and Zoo contributed to the shortlist, drawing more attention to the omission of any female athletes — especially given that both magazines selected all-male lists.

Since then, the nominations have been generally mixed as well as the BBC would have hoped, this year having ten men and six women on the list.

The ceremony also moves from venue to venue every year, and this year will return to the Genting Arena at Birmingham’s NEC on December 18th.  Gary Lineker, Clare Balding and Gabby Logan will be presenting the awards in front of over 15,000 people and it is hoped over ten million people will watch on television.

Full list of nominees:

Nicola Adams (Boxing)

Gareth Bale (Football)

Alistair Brownlee (Triathlon)

Sophie Christensen (Equestrian)

Kadeena Cox (Athletics/Cycling)

Mo Farah (Athlete)

Jason Kenny (Cycling)

Laura Kenny (Cycling)

Andy Murray (Tennis)

Adam Peaty (Swimming)

Kate Richardson-Walsh (Hockey)

Nick Skelton (Equestrian)

Sarah Storey (Cycling)

Jamie Vardy (Football)

Max Whitlock (Gymanstics)

Danny Willett (Golf)

It’s competition time!

Written by Sophie Soar on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

Our student loans are dwindling fast, and the coming festive party season will undoubtedly drain our make-up resources at an alarming rate. Not to worry — the Fashion and Beauty team is here to help!

We’ve teamed up with Manchester’s Soap & Glory Glambassador to ensure that one lucky person can stock up their make-up bags this Christmas without spending a penny.

For the chance to win a Soap & Glory make-up kit, containing lipstick, blusher, mascara, an eyebrow kit and more, take a picture with The Mancunion Fashion and Beauty pages and tag us on Instagram @mancunionfashionandbeauty

Happy writing and Merry Christmas!

Closing date: 12th December 2016

Why are Christmas adverts so effective?

Written by Araddhna Patel on . Posted in Lifestyle.

You’ve all seen and know them well; John Lewis’ ‘The Long Wait’, ‘The Journey’, ‘Monty the Penguin’, and ‘The Man on the Moon’, or Sainsbury’s ‘Christmas is for Sharing’ and ‘Mog’s Christmas Calamity’. Even the Cristina Yang’s amongst us can’t help but shed a tear or ten when watching the young boy — who even eats his peas! — finally give presents to his parents after a long and very impatient wait, or when the German soldier finds the chocolate bar in his pocket. But why exactly are these adverts so effective?

Firstly, notice how the adverts make you feel excited for Christmas. They don’t focus on trying to sell their products to their viewers, but more on the emotion and message behind the advert. Certain adverts genuinely remind you of what it feels like to be a little kid at Christmas time, and others just warm the cockles of your heart. The themes of each advert focus on what really matters, especially during Christmas time, such as sharing, family, and spreading joy. By using these techniques, companies like John Lewis are reigniting the hype around Christmas — not literally, though, as we wouldn’t want the snow to melt.

Another reason why Christmas adverts are so successful is the music. I’ll admit, I’d never heard ‘The Power of Love’ by Gabrielle Aplin until John Lewis’ infamous snowman-travels-far-and-wide-to-find-perfect-gift-for-girlfriend advert first aired. The music is used with the hopes that the song will stick in your head, which it always does. I went so far as to look for the song online and download it, finding some interesting facts along the way. How many people know that Gabrielle Aplin only covered this song, and that it was originally performed by Frankie Goes To Hollywood? Or even Ellie Goulding’s Your Song? — It’s a cover version of Elton John’s. In any case, viewers are able to connect with the advert by watching it and listening to it.

Finally, we have to consider how much money is spent on each advert. John Lewis in particular spends an awfully large amount of money and time on their adverts. It took nine months for Monty the penguin to be animated to perfection, and approximately £7 million to do it. In total, The Independent suggested an estimated £5.6 billion would be spent on marketing around Christmas this year, and that figure will probably rise annually. With so much being spent, it’s no wonder these adverts are so successful.

The twists and turns that the emotional journey that is watching a Christmas advert takes you on truly does get you enthusiastic about Christmas. I guess it’s true what they say, even if I do paraphrase a little — ‘Tis the season to sob relentlessly at Christmas adverts on the telly. Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Festive season shopping got you frazzled?

Written by Megan Byrne on . Posted in Lifestyle.

As the first long semester of university begins to wind down and deadlines become a thing of the past, lots of us are beginning to think about Christmas shopping. For many, there are lots of things we’d rather be doing than dragging ourselves around the shops on a cold winter evening. However, by using these simple tips and tricks you can eliminate the unnecessary stress of gift buying and find the perfect presents for all your loved ones without breaking a sweat.

Take advantage of online shopping

Getting your act together early enough and making full use of the boundless opportunities to order pretty much anything online means you can sort out all your Christmas shopping from the comfort of your very own duvet nest. Throw in a hot chocolate and Netflix and you’ve got yourself a relatively stress-free shopping experience. Plus there is the added advantage of deals which are harder to find on the high street  — with lots of online retailers continuing their Black Friday offers well past the actual day. Many sites also offer free or minimal delivery charges which means you can avoid battling your way onto the 142 laden with bags. NotOnTheHighStreet offers a range of gifts with a difference that are sure to have your relatives oohing and ahhing when the big day arrives.

Photo: Katie Dutton @Flickr

Get organised with a high tech shopping list

Scribbling your gift ideas down on the back of an old envelope just doesn’t cut it when you’re trying to take the stress out of a shopping trip. Handy apps such as Trello which is available for free on the App Store allows you to organise your shopping lists and categorise by person or shop in order to make your trip quicker and easier. There is the added satisfaction of being able to tick of each item as you buy it and get one step closer to that celebratory post-shopping trip to the pub.

Photo: drupal.org

Have fun! It is Christmas, after all…

Manchester is one of the easiest places to get that festive feeling as the city is taken over each year by the famous Christmas Markets which are running this year from the 10th November to the 20th December. The numerous stalls are overflowing with cute and unique gifts for anyone you could think of, whilst the twinkling lights and seasonal attractions make it a fun place to visit with friends. The added bonus of alcoholic hot chocolates, and delicious, traditional street food are sure to make it easier to part with the cash you’ll be spending on presents.

Photo: Megan Byrne

Review: Allied

Written by James Gill on . Posted in Film.

With his latest cinematic effort, director Robert Zemeckis is finally returning to reality after a brief and disappointing stint with animated works such as Beowulf. Reminiscent of the golden-age, Allied is a visually stunning and nostalgic take on how life used to be. With a straightforward yet complex narrative, accompanied with a beautiful score by Alan Silvestri (Forrest Gump, Cast Away), you will be left longing for a time you’ve never known.

We open to a fabulous shot of Max Vatan (Brad Pitt), Air Force Commander, slowly descending by parachute into the Moroccan desert. After travelling to Casablanca he meets French Resistance fighter Marianne Beauséjour (Marion Cotillard) and the two must engage in a faux marriage in order to carry out an assassination on a high-ranking Nazi ambassador. In a nod to the iconic 1941 film of the same name, the faux love of Casablanca soon becomes true love and upon completing the mission and escaping the country they settle down in London and have a child, Anna.

Aside from the nightly bombings, life is simpler in London — organising house parties appearing to be the largest cause of stress. The family live an idyllic life in an idyllic world, thanks to the incredible cinematography. This is cut short however when Vatan is informed of new intelligence suggesting her wife is in fact a German spy. It’s laughable at first yet the claims are founded with damning evidence and what follows is the tragic collapse of his trust as he awaits the results of the investigation. Later that night as Vatan washes his face an earlier scene from Casablanca is replayed, where Beauséjour explains how creating real emotion when undercover has kept her alive so long. With Vatan slowly losing his mind as he tries to work out whether his life is all a lie, he decides to take matters into his own hands ultimately heading for France for answers.

Perhaps overly romanticised at times, including a raunchy scene during a sandstorm, the spectacle of it all seems to just work. Zemeckis’s passion for integrating the latest technological advances helps create a highly exaggerated world, one which the films it imitates dream to be. Cotillard and Pitt’s embodiment of vintage Hollywood match this wonderfully.

In a seemingly hopeless world ravaged by war, life is lived to the fullest and love is true. Zemeckis shows us the beauty in the detail and although this movie isn’t perfect, it implants a renewed sense of admiration for the sacrifices made by those before us.

4/5

 

The French election will be pivotal for Europe’s future

Written by James Blower on . Posted in Opinion.

In the Republicans presidential nominations Francois Fillon reigned triumphant over his opponent, Alain Juppé, in their race for the top seat of France’s centre-right party. There is a mystery surrounding this radical dark horse that has clearly enticed voters, but should his victory and the changing tide of French politics fill the progressives among us with hope or despair?

Having entered politics at the age of 27 as a staunch Gaullist, Fillon became the National Assembly’s youngest minister. His path to the top may have been very slow but it seems he has never forgotten his strong Gaullist conservative and nationalist views. Described by his critics as a “dangerous right-winger”, Fillon is undoubtedly more radical than the candidates he has just beaten in the primaries. Openly voicing his admiration for Margaret Thatcher is a very bold tactic for the potential President of a typically socialist country in which Thatcherites are few and far between.

He is known for his traditional, Catholic values on abortion, gay marriage and women’s rights, which critics fear are contrary to a progressive Western society. Most importantly, as a radical right-winger, Fillon is known for his Euroscepticism: he voted against the Maastricht Treaty in 1992 that brought in the Euro to France. With the term ‘Frexit’ starting to be thrown around by the French media, this weekend’s victory for Fillon could be a turning point for French and European politics.

Polls suggest that due to the current turmoil of the French Left, Fillon is likely to face Marine Le Pen’s far right party, the National Front, in a two-horse election. Although polls suggest that she would finish a reassuringly distant second behind Fillon, these methods of political indicators have been proved as majorly flawed on two occasions in recent months. Whichever way the election looks like it could go, this political situation should send shudders down the spines of European Union supporters.

A victory for either the Republicans or the National Front could be bad news for the EU. Fillon sees it as overly regulatory, bureaucratic, and unaccountable. But, whilst he views may be well-founded, the institution  is unlikely to change. A victory for him could see a ‘Frexit’ movement gain momentum which would in turn bolster support for nationalist movements elsewhere in Europe. Fillon, upon election, could use the timely Brexit negotiations to his own benefit. If, however, Le Pen wins in May and calls a referendum in which France vote to leave the EU, it could spell au revoir to the EU all together.

We are heading into an era of protectionist politics. The terrorist attacks that have shaken France in the last couple of years as well as the huge influx of migrants into Europe has led to countries turning their backs on the EU and the idea of working collectively more generally. It is clear that during these times of panic, voters have felt comforted by the protectionist rhetoric of speakers like Le Pen and Nigel Farage in their promises to solve the country’s issues by closing borders and reinforcing national identity.

Have we not learned our lesson from history? The 1920s and 1930s saw a proliferation of far right parties in Europe, all with nationalist discourse not that dissimilar to that of UKIP and the National Front. Not only did this period end in a catastrophic, devastating World War, it also caused a global recession as protectionism obstructed the notion of working collectively to repair the damage inflicted by WWI. This is not to say that Le Pen and Farage can be equated to the fascist dictators of this period, but bear in mind that Winston Churchill was regarded as eccentric for warning of the dangers that Adolf Hitler posed during his rise to power. It would be naïve to pretend that the significant growth of far right parties all over the continent since the Brexit campaign began will not have adverse effects somewhere down the line.

In terms of ideology, is the European Union not a symbol of how the world should want to be? Despite its less-than perfect functioning in practice, should we not be striving to work collectively for a greater good, with uninhibited trade, shared information and decision making? The end of WWII saw the formation of bodies such as the EU and NATO which encompass this goal. It seems that right wing nationalist movements are undoing the progress that has been made, and in doing so are taking a step back in time.

Fillon’s victory last weekend means that France’s era of radical right-wing government has already begun. Whichever way the French presidential election goes next spring, it is certain to be a pivotal moment in European politics.