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Month: September 2017

Record Reappraisal: Indigo Girls – Swamp Ophelia

Written by Elizabeth Gibson on . Posted in Music.

Those familiar with folk-rock duo Indigo Girls will be aware that their album Swamp Ophelia is a huge fan favourite. Released five years after their self-titled breakthrough record, Swamp Ophelia certainly catches the pair — Amy Ray and Emily Saliers — at a pivotal time in their career, and contains a remarkable number of their best-known hits.

The album opens with ‘Fugitive’, notable in part for being the source of lyrics tattooed on the chest of Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. With a gloriously simple waltz-like rhythm and soaring, angsty vocals, this track sweeps the listener into a passionate and doomed relationship.

Another song with a waltz-like beat is ‘Reunion’. Like ‘Fugitive’, it was written by Amy Ray, and it reflects upon a school reunion she attended. Her attitude shifts from annoyance and confusion to acceptance and affection. There are then the darker Ray songs: ‘Touch Me Fall’, ‘Dead Man’s Hill’, and ‘This Train Revised’. All three are excellent, though a long way from light listening.

Emily Saliers provides six songs, which follow her trademark formula of gentle love song plus a touch of sass and humour. ‘Least Complicated’ is poppy and slickly-produced, while ‘The Wood Song’ builds up harmonies to reach an epic conclusion. The famous ‘Power of Two’ is essentially a lullaby and has a timeless kind of beauty.

Swamp Ophelia arrived in the world in 1994, making us the same age. I always felt something of a connection to it as a result, and with its range of styles and consistent quality, I really do recommend it.

Failures of the West’s counter-terrorism strategy

Written by Jacklin Kwan on . Posted in Opinion.

“Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated.”

These are the words of George W. Bush as he launched the war on terror — a war with no isolated enemy, no borders, and no foreseeable end. With this speech, delivered ten days after the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, a political legacy that would continue to distort the reality of terrorism began.

There is a culture of speaking about terrorism as isolated events committed by aberrant individuals — dangerous figures that are simply mad. Media outlets from across the political spectrum depict even home-grown terrorists as outcasts and undesirables — socially disaffected and destructive.

I am not denying that these depictions have a vein of truth; any person willing to commit such atrocious acts of violence on innocent civilians is probably not a well-adjusted individual. However, with this being the only dominant media narrative of terrorism with no acknowledgement of its deeper social and political roots, there has been little public pressure to reform the UK’s counter-terrorism apparatus at the home-front and overseas.

I wish to be very clear, this is not an attack on the UK’s Islamic faith group. If anything, it is a criticism of the state that has betrayed them. Young Muslims in the UK face enormous social mobility barriers– they experience Islamophobia, discrimination, and racism, that is almost unparalleled in any other faith group.

And despite their deepening political and civic participation in Britain, sincere attempts to address their interests have always been peripheral.

In the backdrop to the dysfunction at home, a war in Syria and Iraq wages on between numerous rebel factions and a despotic government. The collateral damage of airstrikes and bullet-fire has left a trauma so profound that it has resulted in a massive refugee and humanitarian crisis, fertile ground for extremism.

The West’s response has been pre-occupied with pure repressive strategy implemented by a variety of security forces meant to prevent and mitigate terrorist attacks. These policies include higher obstacles to free immigration, sophisticated urban policing, and overseas, fighting Islamist extremist forces through the targeting of cell leaders — a tactic termed ‘decapitation’ — and curbing sources of funding.

No one is going to deny that these strategies are valid, and in certain cases, incredibly effective. The war on terrorism is indeed partly military, but it is also political, economic, psychological, and civic; and it is these dimensions that lack proper engagement.

The UK’s counter-terrorism apparatus ignores making long-term commitments to social integration and safety nets for groups more vulnerable to radicalisation. Its formal attempt is Prevent, one of the four elements of the government’s Contest security strategy.

Meant to respond to the ideological challenge that the UK faces from terrorism, it was formulated to prevent people from recruitment by radical cells through administering support in a range of sectors such as justice and education.

However, its broad mandate on an issue as difficult to practically implement as social cohesion meant that it’s been largely unsuccessful. The Prevent strategy was said to have a “chilling effect and added to a strong sense of grievance” in the local Muslim communities, which saw it as a thinly-veiled spying programme that treated them as enemy suspects in their own state.

With it was often a greater use of ordinary criminal law (e.g. drugs, fraud) to take those who were identified as extremists out of circulation, an unsettling policy shrouded in secrecy that disproportionately polices particular faith groups.

In its confused and disingenuous attempts to prevent terrorism, the UK has marginalised itself in the hearts and minds of its own citizens.

The UK isn’t alone in its feeble attempts to address home-grown terrorism. The US and much of Western Europe faces immense resistance to a more comprehensive response to radicalization. An anti-interventionist backlash to Syria and Iraq parallels a hesitance to invest too heavily in long-term reform at home, exacerbated by a political divide. And we are all the poorer for it, stuck with a lop-sided war strategy.

Counter-terrorism is ultimately a “struggle to control a contested political space” where political results are arguably more significant that tactical successes on the battlefield. The West is losing the bid to win hearts and minds of the most important populations at home and overseas.

What’s the future of Pangaea? An interview with Kitty Bartlett

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Features.

As students flood Fallowfield, the beating heart of the city returns. You can’t walk more than a metre without having an abundance of flyers shoved in your face and free Domino’s forced down your throat. This can can mean only one thing: it must be freshers week.

Pangaea is the pinnacle of freshers, whether you are a fresh faced first year or a weary fourth year. It all started in 2006 when some students wanted to throw a big party in the SU, but they probably never realised it would become the massive event on the social calendar that it is today.

I interviewed Kitty Bartlett, the activities and development officer, last Thursday, the 21st of September, to get all the juicy Pangaea info and find out about its future.

How would you describe Pangaea?

“It’s the best thing ever; a night of incredible music, incredible décor and incredible people…It’s a magical event that happens three times a year in Manchester.”

How is Pangaea organisation going?

“Yeah it’s going well; everything is set. We’re just doing final checks and last-minute décor, along with making sure timings are right and artists are going to arrive on time.”

What have you done differently to previous years?

“The silent disco is back. It’s been absent for the last two years but there has been big demand so it’s great that it’s coming back. And this year we’ve hired some giant props, which is going to give to give the décor that extra edge — it’s something we haven’t done before.”

How long does the décor take to make?

“About a month. For the last week and a half I’ve spent every day here in the SU making decorations and being covered in paint! We’ve been limited due to the building works so for one room we’ve only just been allowed in one room to do decorations in. There is a massive range of decorations as we have some really arty people on the team that have made some incredible things from massive mushrooms to top hats.”

How did the theme come about?

“Last year was down the rabbit hole — it was really great. There are always so many great themes that are kind of overlooked. Wonka was a suggested theme in previous years but we decided to do it this year since it’s a little smaller and gives us more chance to focus on décor. The Wonka theme is very accessible and easy for first years to dress up for without having to buy lots of new things for their outfit. The September Pangea is the most tame out of the three in terms of fancy dress. Lots of freshers are reluctant to dress up at first and don’t understand the effort that other people go to in terms of fancy dress.

Do you have a favourite Pangea?

“Lost city was one of mine. I dressed up as a swimmer caught in a net that had turned into an octopus; I still have my outfit now.”

What is there to expect for the future of Pangaea?

“There is only going to be two Pangaeas this year. The ongoing building work will mean that we aren’t able to fully host a Pangea in January. It’ll be too cold to expect everyone to stay outside the Union Building all night so there will be something a bit different this year. It’s all very up in the air at the moment about what it will be but it will definitely be an event in January — it’ll be something a bit different and exciting. It’s a great opportunity to create a new event which may then happen every year.”

How are the SU building works going?

“I’m really liking the new food court areas and stalls but it’s still a bit plain down there at the moment, so I’m waiting to get some art up and make place feel bit friendlier. I’m hoping to get some student art up but that will come with time. The next six months is going to be harder… everything has moved around a bit and many staff don’t have desks so are having to work from home or around the university. But I feel like everyone is mentally prepared for it so it should be okay.

“We’ll be nearly back to full size by June if all goes to plan. It’ll be an exciting time after the current little step back. Hopefully we can grow again and create the hype for Pangea that we had two years ago when it was the event was the go-to and it was all anyone talked about.”

Your best Pangaea moment?

“My first ever Pangaea. I had had quite a negative fresher’s week and was ill; I didn’t really want to go but my flatmates dragged me out and i thought it was amazing from the moment we walked in.”

Photo: Kitty Bartlett

Your worst Pangaea moment?

“I projectile vomited on a radiator in Academy 2 in front of everyone. I was dancing, then felt sick (but didn’t think would be sick)… then it was too late.”

Pangaea top tips?

  • Dress up and get a fab costume. It’s what makes Pangaea stand out from other events and festivals and its even better when people really get involved and embrace it;
  • Although this September’s event will be small r than previous ones, make sure explore all of the spaces you can. Each room and stage has different music, different décor and different vibes;
  • Try the food. The food stalls are good, cheap, and definitely worth it;
  • Try and stick it out to the end if you can. Obviously it’s a long night but the music in final hour is always really good;
  • Pangaea isn’t just for people who drink but is really good and interesting experience for people who don’t. Last year we had students performing in bands on the band stage and that was really cool too see.

How did you get involved with Pangaea?

“After my first Pangaea I enjoyed it so much that I messaged the Facebook page walking home saying how much I loved it and asking how I could get involved. Through working for team Pangaea I’ve realised I want a career in working in events and event management.

“If other people want to get involved, it’s open to all students. Most people don’t know this but it’s even open to MMU students — we had three students from MMU on team Pangaea last year! It’s not technically a society and it’s not really volunteer work, but we want to make it more like a society and organise other events as well as Pangaea. It is also a great opportunity for developing your CV and organisation skills. Working for Pangaea is more than just getting a free ticket; it’s a great chance to get to know some fun people and be a part of something unique.”

When will you start planning for the next Pangaea?

“We haven’t started planning for the next one yet because this week has been a bit manic. We will probably wait a week after this event before starting. We will hold some open meetings to get ideas. All the info for the meetings will be posted on the Facebook page so people can contribute their ideas for the January event.”

And the line up?

“This year we have Wiley vs. Dirty Good which is a UK premier, and is exclusive to only Pangea and Bristol which is exciting.

“To bring Wiley in we used a company called VMH Events Management — they help smaller festivals and students approach bigger artists. Our polls after last year’s event showed that Wiley was an artist that plenty of people wanted to see at Pangaea, so we were pleased we managed to get him.

The other DJs are decided through team Pangaea. They’re either acts that people have seen before or ones that have been voted in. Obviously we have to juggle money and find artists who will play for the right fee, and we have to be extra careful as Warehouse project has exclusivity rights on their artists in Manchester, which means that are options are narrowed.”

“One of our massive pushes has been on getting more female artists to play. Anu is an up-and-coming female DJ and is predicted to blow up in the next six months. One of our more interesting DJs is Jaguar Skills, who is a bit older but plays really good tunes; he was the artist with the most votes from team Pangaea. He plays a whole variety of genres so it will be interesting to see what style he goes for on the night — he always works the crowd really well.

Pangaea should be an amazing night; a lot of hard work has gone into planning and preparing for it. It would be such a shame to lose the beloved festival as it’s one of the events that makes Manchester so special. Make sure you get your ticket here and keep an eye out for opportunties to get involved.

Six tips to maintain your mental well-being

Written by James Johnson on . Posted in Lifestyle.

In the frenzy of welcome week and the beginning of a new semester, safeguarding your mental well-being is one of your greatest tools to ensure your own success.

Moving into a new apartment or student halls, adjusting to new classes and schedules, and socialising with new groups of people, are stress-free and exciting transitions for many. For some, this process can be testing. It is crucial to recognise that we all struggle from time to time; it is equally important to recognise that a struggle is not a source of embarrassment, but an opportunity to ask for help and to better understand ourselves.

Adapting to university is by no means an easy process but there are simple steps we can all take to ensure we are able to take the most from our time in Manchester.

Mental well-being is a process that is by no means static; peaks and troughs are normal. Here are some simple tips that might help you adapt to your new university life and may just help inject a little more happiness into your everyday.

1. Step outside of your comfort zone — university may be the best place for you to step outside of your typical range of activities. Why not try something completely out of the ordinary and boost your self-esteem by learning a new skill. Visit a few new places in your free time or take a trip out of town. Go along to all and any social events — the anxiety of going will be ousted by your new connections and friends.

2. Take care of your physical health — the pace of everyday university life means it can be easy to forget to take care of our physical health. The thought of attempting to partake in some kind of physical exercise almost always loses to the idea of benefiting from the latest take-out deal around town. But exercise doesn’t have to be the activity that we should enjoy, but the activity that can aid our mental well-being. Try walking instead of hopping on the bus or take a weekend walk in the countryside. Manchester is always ready to provide you with a healthy dose of fresh air!

3. Take some YOU time — by the time we reach University, we are infinitely aware of the things that bring us joy and the things that do not. Taking some time out of your schedule to take care of your mental well-being is as important as ensuring you’re the most diligent reader in your seminar. Go watch that movie you’ve been wanting to see, go for dinner at your favourite restaurant, or just grab a great cup of coffee and finish that book you’ve been working on.

4. Seek advice and TALK — talking about our mental health has certainly entered the discussion in recent years but often, we’re still plagued by the idea of pretending that everything isn’t always peachy – but often, it isn’t! The university has a plethora of resources available to you to discuss your options. Your academic advisors, support services, and the counselling service are but a few of the available sources. Consider talking with your friends over coffee about the things you’ve been struggling with, perhaps they may have some advice. The chances are, you’ll never regret starting the conversation.

5. Eat happy, feel happy — eating your way to a better sense of well-being may sound too obvious to be true but your diet is a crucial part of maintaining your mood and energy levels. Inject a little colour into your plate or consider trying one of Manchester’s incredible health food outlets. And stay hydrated too — your skin and your brain will thank you!

6. Reassurance – in the sea of students here at Manchester, it’s easy to feel like the smallest fish in the biggest pond. Every once in a while, consider reminding yourself that you are capable of overcoming any challenge that arises during your time as a student. After all, you’re at one of the country’s greatest institutions for a reason!

The defiance of secession – Catalan independence

Written by Mark Montegriffo on . Posted in News, Opinion.

We are coming up to 80 years since the publication of George Orwell’s ‘Homage to Catalonia’, in which he described Barcelona as “a town where the working class was in the saddle … There was much in it that I did not understand, in some ways I did not even like it, but I recognized it immediately as a state of affairs worth fighting for.”

The Spanish civil war ended up as the prequel to World War Two, and the fascistic trio in Europe of Nazi Germany, Mussolini’s Italy, and Spain under Franco, were assembled.

In the midst of severe national division, Orwell writes of Catalonia as a functioning state that was run by every leftist radical party from the socialists to the anarchist: “Practically every building of any size had been seized by the workers and was draped with red flags or with the red and black flag of the Anarchists; every wall was scrawled with the hammer and sickle and with the initials of the revolutionary parties… Every shop and café had an inscription saying that it had been collectivised…  Waiters and shop-walkers looked you in the face and treated you as an equal.”

But by January of 1939, Barcelona fell to the fascists. Half a million refugees crossed the border into France, Catalan political autonomy was abolished, and Catalan Christian names were forbidden. Even the Catalan language itself and the Sardana — a Catalonian cultural dance — were outlawed.

Mediums of communication, such as books and newspapers, were requisitioned or burned. The white terror of Franco was a limpieza — cleansing — of anything and anyone that they perceived as leftist, anti-Catholic, anti-monarchy, anarchist, intellectual, liberals, Protestants, separatists, and more. The White Terror death toll was far greater than the Red Terror before it with an estimated 400,000 murdered at the hands of the Franco regime from 1939-1975, from Andalucia up to Aragon, and everywhere in between.

Fast-forward to present day and the right-wing Partido Popular (PP) government, which owes its roots to the Francoist minister Manuel Fraga, still denies Spanish historians access to government archives which would allow them to investigate the White Terror more thoroughly, and to ascertain the ultimate fate of the victims.

There are families across Spain and beyond who at least have a relative who was a victim. Yet, due to systemic corruption from the main parties — both PP and the centre-left Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE) — right-wing nationalism maintains a strong position in Spanish mainstream politics. It may be a reaction to the long-held influence of secession movements, especially the Catalonian variety, though some will suggest that the reaction is opposite.

In the early hours of Wednesday 20th September, just 10 days before the electorate of Catalonia vote on the independence question in another referendum deemed illegal by the Spanish government, the Guardia Civil — the infamously heavy-handed national police which acts at the direction of Madrid’s interior ministry, the equivalent of the Home Office in the UK — stormed into Catalonian regional government departments arresting politicians and their aides.

This was a response to the first round of hearings for over 700 mayors in the region who are under investigation for supporting the referendum. The President of the National Assembly in the region, Jordi Sanchez, retorted with “the time has come. We resist peacefully. We come out to defend our institutions with non-violence.”

This defiance has been a consistent feature of the Catalonian secession movement, and a necessary one, given the indefatigable attempts by the Spanish national government to silence them. This auspicious month in southern Europe’s political history also marked the 50th anniversary of the Gibraltar sovereignty referendum, where the people of Gibraltar voted to reject Franco’s fascism.

The result was seen as a provocation towards Madrid by the Franco regime. The outcome was a closed frontier by order of Franco from 1969 to 1985, making the people who voted to remain British just as defiant as the Rock of Gibraltar itself. This defiance is a source of pride and strength in Gibraltar, and the same applies to pro-independence Catalans, young and old. The right-wing elements of Spanish politics have led to solidarity between those negatively affected by it through the time.

Notwithstanding the debates of self-determination, sovereignty and nation-state legitimacy, this defiance is a factor that cannot be ignored when one anticipates a majority vote for independence which is rejected by the Spanish government as illegitimate.

Four years removed from the previous ‘illegal’ referendum for Catalonian independence, it does not look like the regional governing parties — and the Catalan people — will ever give into the political and, at times, physical, pressure exerted upon them from Madrid.

Barcelona may be a much different place to Orwell’s Eden of leftist radicalism in many ways, but there are aspects of the revolutionary spirit that appear to have lingered in the psyche of the region at large.

Review: R5

Written by Hannah Brierley on . Posted in Music.

R5 are an American band who are aptly named; the members are made up of Ross, Riker, Rocky and Rydel and their friend Ratliff (honest, I’m not even joking).

Before the gig was even due to begin the O2 Ritz, R5 uploaded a tweet congratulating some of the fans who had been waiting in line to get in since 4am. There’s something to be said about having fans who are willing to wait outside in the pissing rain for hours just to get a good view.

As the band leapt on-stage and began to cover the intro from ‘I Need You Tonight’, the O2 Ritz filled with girlish screams, and excited faces. At first, I assumed that this was a nice little pop band for pre-teens. How wrong I ended up being.

The riff from ‘I need you tonight’ rolled effortlessly into their next track, and showcased some upbeat, mesmerising tunes. As the show went on the group proved they were much more layered than initially thought; they had elements of electronic synths and strong catchy, feel-good disco vibes.

The band ooze pop-rock in every way, from their ironic not-so-ironic sunglasses, the pink bob wig, synchronised guitar jump kicks and finally the icing on the cake, or more accurately, the glitter… everywhere.

Now let me reiterate that some fans had been queueing since 4am. Their dedication never wavered as the night went on, and I have never been so impressed with an audience knowing every. Single. Word. It was so lovely to see a band have such a strong alliance with their fans. It was magical when their singing along coupled with lead Ross Lynch, who has a breath-taking voice and is genuinely great fun to watch.  His clean cut vocals were assured throughout.

The band like to take something well known and turning it on their head, with intros from the Stranger Things theme tune, and Fleetwood mac’s ‘Break the Chain’ before cleverly mixing it into their own songs. The sampling was exhilarating and was effortless.

Then, out of nowhere, Ross pulled out his tap dancing shoes and had a tap dance vs drum solo stand-off. So bizarre, but somehow worked!

The funky fresh five-some finished the show by saying that they genuinely love what they do, as you never get to see so many genuine smiles in one place before smoothly transitioning into the track ‘Smile’.

I had my reservations, but I left with songs stuck in my head and ready to go buy their album… they’re definitely my new guilty pleasure.

8/10

New Mancunian music is taking inspiration from the past

Written by Yasmin Duggal on . Posted in Music.

Here’s five new artists to watch who have been influenced by their northern cultural surroundings

It seems inadequate to limit Manchester’s musical prowess down to a few of the most successful bands this country has seen. It seems insufficient to caption the music history of the city as Liam Gallagher’s cagoule-clad swagger, or Morrissey’s rainy day lyricism. What Manchester has to answer for is a cosmic shift in British pop culture which has inspired a wealth of innovation in new artists. Manchester is aspired to; its Ian Brown attitude, its Gallagher audacity, its New Order electricity.

Here’s some of the best new music to emerge from the city this year, not only taking inspiration from the city’s roots, but immersing itself in the natural progression of Manchester alternative sounds.

1)      Cabbage

Post-punk giants Cabbage have stunned audiences this year with their explosive, unforgiving live presence and uncensored brutal honesty on the austerity enforced by a Tory government. The channelling of societal rage into ferociously satirical guitar music echoes Greater Manchester’s punk history of bands like The Buzzcocks. Their swagger and reckless bravado seems to stem from a long line of Manchester frontmen who do as they please for whoever will listen. It’s not how many are listening or where their tracks lie in the charts, it’s what they have to say.

2)      Pale Waves

This local band have already built up a cult following in Manchester and are set to make it big in the industry. Their debut single ‘There’s A Honey’ was produced by The 1975’s Matty Healy and George Daniel. That classic Mancunian alternative-ism is evident in their tracks, and they are definitely following in the footsteps of Manchester’s indie heritage. Guitar-ridden electric pop at its best, for fans of The 1975, Churches and Wolf Alice.

3)      The Blinders

Influenced by punk poets, beat writers and literature, The Blinders are on a mission to make psychedelic punk rock with a political punch. Neither mainstream nor everyone’s cup of tea, the band eschew the mainstream, and they are everything you want from a punk band. If you like eccentric live shows and don’t mind an assault on popular culture, The Blinders have it in them to transport you back to the 70s, when less bands were afraid of challenging the norm.

4)      Jordan Allen

Drawing comparisons with Jake Bugg’s bluesy vibes, Jordan Allen from Bolton is exciting fans at a local level. He has played on BBC introducing stages, and his single ‘Too Much Too Soon’ has been compared with the wise lyricism which has saturated the North West for decades. The young singer has definitely captured that Mancunian musical observation of real life.

5)      Dantevilles

This four-piece are raw, uplifting, northern indie pop. Their single ‘It Might Be Tomorrow’ was selected as Hew Stevens BBC Radio 1 Tip Of The Week, and they are intent on making fresh music with a groovy, soulful backbone. With groovy sounds and original ideas, this band are one to watch.

Manchester alumnus sparks outrage at Student Leaders Conference

Written by Hana Jafar on . Posted in News.

University of Manchester alumnus Tomas Paulik was the guest of honour at a conference whose presentation caused many students distress and upset with its content.

The Student Leaders’ Conference, organised by The University of Manchester Students’ Union, involved a morning and afternoon session of talks, workshops, and networking opportunities for committee members and student leaders at the University.

Photo: Manchester Students’ Union

One of Paulik’s comments made during the morning session encouraged students to network and “make friends with weird people,” with “Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder” listed as an example beneath an image of a person washing their hands. Also listed were those who suffer from “Asperger’s Syndrome” and “introverts.”

The speaker had another slide that encouraged students to “date a geek girl” alongside an image of a woman in glasses and a schoolgirl uniform. This featured beside the quote: “never sleep with a girl who doesn’t know Fourier transforms.”

Some students and staff members at the Students’ Union were seen looking visibly uncomfortable and surprised by the slides. Shortly after he rushed through the rest of his presentation, a Students’ Union staff member who organised the event apologised and explained that these comments did not reflect the views of the Students’ Union.

An upset attendee, who chose to remain anonymous, commented that the incident was “absolutely disgusting to someone like me who struggles with a chronic mental illness… fetishising mental illnesses diminish their seriousness as psychological conditions that are distressing and difficult.

“He came across as ignorant and insensitive, so I couldn’t take anything he said seriously,” they added. Shortly after the slides had been shown, the University’s part time Transgender Officer and member of the UoM Feminist Collective tweeted the following:

 

Rob also spoke with The Mancunion about their experience, saying “I feel really frustrated about the whole situation because the event was otherwise pretty good, and I know the SU do decent work to support disabled students elsewhere, so I was really shocked at the content in the presentation.”

“It’s also pretty ironic considering how strict the SU are about societies booking speakers in for events”, they added.

The Students’ Union, and The National Union of Students as a whole, has a policy whereby speakers can be ‘no-platformed’ if enough people raise concerns about the content, and has been criticised in the past for restricting the right to free speech.

The University of Manchester Students’ Union released a statement commenting on the events at the conference, saying that they “would like to acknowledge the impact and apologise for any offence caused during the slides within the aforementioned presentation.

“With a very clear brief provided and no concerns regarding the speaker’s background, the Students’ Union felt confident that we did not need to vet the speaker’s presentation and content.”

The Union’s General Secretary Alex Tayler also stated: “I would like to thank the students who had the confidence and skills to challenge this incident; as a Students’ Union this is something we will continue to support and encourage. Following the initial presentation, we were able to use this as an opportunity to guide the presenter for future reference.”

The speaker in question graduated from the University of Manchester in 2012 with a degree in Artificial Intelligence and was awarded the Kilburn scholarship for academic excellence. He is a software engineer and has given lectures as a guest speaker at various prestigious academic Institutions. When asked for comment on the incident, Paulik told the Mancunion “The presentation is using elements of modern marketing, due to its targeted audience — students interested in entrepreneurship — and is to some extent of a humorous nature.

“The organisation did not inform me about the conservative nature of the conference and its audience. Should I have known this, I would adapt the content accordingly.

“It was definitely not my intention to make anyone feel uncomfortable with the presented content, and I would like to express my apologies, should that have happened.

He added that “immediately after my talk, the organisers played a video which was focused on leadership. The video features nine males and zero female leaders. If a line-up of white male role models presented by the Diversity Officer is being considered as appropriate content, then I don’t understand how my talk can be subject of such inadequate criticism [sic]”

The Students’ Union have encouraged anyone who feels affected by the subject matter of this article to contact their free and confidential Advice Service.

Remembering the mother of marriage equality, Edie Windsor

Written by James Johnson on . Posted in Lifestyle.

In 2013, Edie Windsor rode on the back of a red Ford Mustang along Fifth Avenue, soaking in her ground-breaking victory and realising her new celebrity status as an LGBT icon.

It was the landmark case that changed the lives of thousands of Americans forever and the story of a small, but mighty woman, who took on the Supreme Court of The United States — and triumphed.

In the years before becoming an icon of equality, Edie Windsor chose to marry her lifelong partner, Thea Spyer, in the Spring of 2007. As the United States Government were yet to recognise same-sex marriage, Edie and her wife opted to marry in Toronto.

Upon Spyer’s death in 2009, Windsor was ordered to pay over $350,000 in federal taxes, after inheriting her late wife’s estate.

Although Windsor attempted to benefit from an estate tax exemption for surviving spouses, the Defence of Marriage Act, or ‘DOMA” as it was then known, prevented her from doing so. Article 3 of  ‘DOMA’ provided tax exemptions only to those marriages that were between a man and woman.

Rather than succumb to the barriers set forth by the American Government, Windsor became the lead plaintiff in the landmark case ‘United States v. Windsor’.

In her fight against the unconstitutional grounding of ‘DOMA’, Windsor succeeded in striking down the Defense of Marriage Act, forcing 13 states to recognise same-sex marriage and paving the way for the 2015 ruling that legalised same-sex marriage in all 50 states.

In one of many heart-rending speeches at Edie’s funeral in New York City last week, Hillary Clinton told the congregation “thank you for proving that love is more powerful than hate; for filling us with a sense of possibility and promise”. Clinton spoke of Edie’s unwavering determination as being the reason for her becoming such an immovable force in the history of gay rights.

Edie spent a life breaking down barriers. She achieved the rare feat of becoming one of the first female computer programmers at IBM. She was honoured by the National Computing Conference as a Pioneer of Operating systems. Later, she would take on the United States Supreme Court in her eighties with a difficult heart condition — and win.

Edie Windsor’s life and passing is a pertinent reminder to recognise those lives spent fighting in the trenches for equality — helping change perceptions and attitudes the world over.

“Though she may be but little, she is fierce”, wrote Shakespeare in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Edie Windsor may have been small in her stature, but the magnitude of her persistence will remain fixed upon the steps of the United States Supreme Court, and her efforts will be thanked forever.

“Fenty Beauty on the brain”

Written by Amy Nguyen on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

SOS, please, someone help me. It’s not healthy for me to feel this way! Let’s talk about Fenty Beauty by Rihanna.

As if 12 American Music Awards, 12 Billboard Music Awards, 8 Grammy Awards and 8 record breaking studio albums don’t quite cut it, our favourite Barbadian girl can take a bow and add beauty mogul to her never-ending portfolio of girl boss achievements.

Since its launch a fortnight ago, Fenty Beauty is causing serious Disturbia in the cosmetic industry. It’s key messaging and objective focuses around inclusivity and the celebration of diversity through its extensive shade ranges as well as encouraging users to have fun and be creative.

This is immediately apparent when I was invited to discover the collection at Harvey Nichols. With over 40 shades available in the Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longer Foundation, Fenty Beauty instantly ticks boxes many cosmetic brands fail to.

RiRi’s Fenty Beauty assortment fulfils all of your beauty needs, whether it be the Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Primer, Killawatt Free Style Highlighters, or the Match Stix Skinsticks, which are available in matte and shimmery colours.

The ‘fenty glow’ is best personified with my favourite product from the collection — the Glass Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer. Its single shade was purposely designed to suit all skin colours, and its rose and nude tones ensure your lips shine bright like a diamond throughout the day and evening.

Glass Bomb Lip Luminizer – RRP £16
Photo Credit: Amy Nguyen

The Fenty Beauty team are equipped with compatibility charts which upon selecting your correct foundation shade, can immediately suggest which shades of products in the range can be used to conceal, contour and highlight to compliment your look. This is a fabulous time saver and acts as a great referencing point if you wish to purchase one item and return for the rest at a later date.

Every aspect has been carefully considered and the collection boasts a variety of tools for application that include beauty sponges, brushes, and blotting paper. Portable mini versions of the brushes have been created as the perfect accompaniment when you are on the move.

Did I mention all the packing is magnetic?! The entire range is also completely cruelty-free — an increasingly important factor when it comes to selecting our best in beauty.

As far as price points go, the collection ranges from a very reasonable £8 to £26.

Fenty Beauty by Rihanna is here to stay and is available to purchase exclusively at Harvey Nichols nationwide and online.

So jump on the closest bus or taxi and order them to shut up and drive to your nearest Fenty Beauty counter which can be located at:

Harvey Nichols Manchester, 21 New Cathedral Street, Manchester, M1 1AD

Fifth of Greater Manchester Police PCs run on Windows XP

Written by Tristan Parsons on . Posted in News.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has revealed to the BBC that one-fifth of its computers still run Windows XP, though the force says that they are “continually” reducing their reliance on the operating software.

This was revealed as part of a wider Freedom of Information request by the BBC.

Microsoft ended nearly all support for the operating system in 2014. Since then, experts have warned that it is vulnerable to cyber-attacks.

Last year, NHS systems were attacked by malware known as Wannacry. The virus left many files inaccessible.

GMP said that its use of a small number of specialist applications meant that it was necessary for many of the 1,518 PCs in question to run on Windows XP.

Christopher Boyd, an expert in malware at Malwarebytes, told The Register IT news outlet that, “we must ask how healthy these [specialist] apps are. Do the developers still even support them with security patches, or are they essentially ‘abandonware’ with no comparable equivalent available?”

“Given budget constraints, it seems they are being forced to slowly find replacements while dealing with increasing amounts of duct tape to keep everything ticking over, he said”

In contrast to GMP, the Police Service of Northern Ireland have five PCs running on Windows XP, 0.05 per cent of their total.

London’s Metropolitan Police Service was one of the Police forces that refused to provide up-to-date figures. The BBC has appealed this refusal. However, in June it said about 10,000 of its desktop computers were still running XP. At the time, the Service claimed that revealing more information “would reveal potential weaknesses and vulnerability.”

A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Police, however, said that “the decision to share the figures on this has been made as the simple numerical response would not pose a significant increase to our organisational risks.”

Others disagree. Infospec expert Alan Woodward told The Register that, “by running so many XP machines, the police is effectively leaving more door handles exposed for hackers to rattle. Hackers are not targeted, so not disclosing this information won’t prevent attacks.

“From what I know this proportion of machines still running Windows XP is endemic across the public sector.”

Re-appraisal: Jungle Fever

Written by Eloïse Wright on . Posted in Film.

Jungle Fever was Spike Lee’s sixth feature, first shown in cinemas in 1991. Recently shown at HOME Mcr, the film was followed by a panel discussion with The British Blacklist’s Akua Gyamfi, where we delved into some of the many layers of the film, such as the glass ceiling in the workplace, black women’s thoughts about black men, and of course how Spike Lee approaches what Jungle Fever actually is.

The movie begins one morning in Harlem, taking a look into the harmonious life of Flipper Purify (Wesley Snipes) a successful architect who is both happily married, and a wonderful father. On this particular morning, Flipper’s bosses introduce him to his new temp worker, Angie Tucci (Annabella Sciorra) a young and alluring Italian-American woman from Bensonhurst.

Their first interaction is not pleasant, as Flipper almost immediately strides back to his bosses’ office, angrily protesting he asked for an African-American to be hired, on the basis that he is the only person of colour in the entire office. “This sounds dangerously like reverse discrimination” one of the two bosses points out. The issue Spike Lee is tackling here is that the modern American workplace needs to normalize hiring people from all backgrounds, especially African-Americans.

When talking to his wife Drew (Lonette McKee) about his long overdue promotion to partner of the architectural firm, as much as she agrees he deserves it, she carefully warns him to be prepared. “Prepared for what?” Flipper asks. “In case they say no.” Flipper throws that statement to the wind — to him, it’s all very straightforward — “Most of the money they make in the company, it’s because of me”.

This glass ceiling is still hugely present in the workplace today — as many of the people confirmed during the discussion panel. One woman recounted her experience of deciding to leave her job to start her own business due to the very same problem Flipper faced almost 30 years ago.

Angie and Flipper grow increasingly drawn to each other, creating a routine of working late and eating Chinese takeout together, one night finally giving in to temptation. It is quite obvious that the pair share more of a physical attraction than a romantic one. The backlash their liaison causes quickly outweighs the fascination they held for one another.

It is this unhealthy sexual attraction that Spike Lee evokes as Jungle Fever, or the fetishization of different skin colours or ethnicities than one’s own. Both ruin the relationships they were in, Angie receives a vicious beating from her father when word gets out she is seeing a black man. Her boyfriend Paulie (John Turturro, also known for the role of Pino in Do the Right Thing) is a “nice guy”, their break-up scene is so well played that it is genuinely upsetting to watch.

Paulie’s friends — or probably better described as an entourage — are intensely racist and attempt to push him to be angry not over the adultery, but over the fact that the man in question is black. Thankfully Paulie does not share this point of view and quite soon asks a regular client out on a date. Contrasting with Angie and Flipper’s relationship, this was a nice addition to the story as Paulie is infatuated with her not only because he finds her beautiful, but also for her intelligence – He does not have “the fever”.

It is interesting how the pair’s different skin colours are recurrently seen as a larger issue than the adultery itself. Angie’s father is ashamed of her actions, throwing her out of his home because the man she is seeing is not white or Italian. Flipper’s wife Drew has struggled all her life being mixed-race, and for this reason feels all the more hurt upon discovering the other woman is white.

This opens up a discussion she and her friends have that evening. She is now convinced Flipper has always fantasized about white women, wondering aloud if it’s for her light-coloured skin that he married her. They criticise the fact that men’s ideal of beauty is far too often the white woman. Growing up, the black girl is constantly surrounded by media and advertisements that push that stereotype. Lee and the actresses improvised this whole scene over the course of two days, and it is one of the most realistic scenes in the entire film. It evokes what women of colour felt and experienced then, and as women during the discussion panel confirmed, still reflects what women of colour feel and talk about now.

Many of the people at the screening confessed that the film didn’t ring as true as when they first saw it in 1991, but we all agreed that Spike Lee had once again brought together an incredibly talented cast and a realistic grasp of the tensions on the streets of Harlem and Bensonhurst that must be watched, shared and talked about continually.

Review: American Assassin

Written by James Gill on . Posted in Film.

After a string of well-received films by director Michael Cuesta, the Hollywood call for another riskless, humourless franchise was just too strong to ignore.

Thankfully, American Assassin will lay to rest with the other bare minimum attempts by Lionsgate to create a cash-cow replacement to the Hunger Games and the other 15 and counting novels in the same series will remain just that.

The four billed writers are the biggest red flag, who produced three separate rewrites of the book adaptation. Four different people who wanted to leave their personal stamp, skewing the plot and tonality in their separate directions. The result is an incredibly self-serious film with a ludicrous storyline.

Dylan O’Brien, whose performance is only restricted by the material he has to work with, plays the main character of Mitch Rapp. On an idyllic beach in Ibiza, he proposes to his girlfriend before heading to the bar for celebratory drinks. From the overly-saturated shooting style, it is obvious that violence is incoming and sure enough multiple terrorists slaughter holiday-goers in a horrendously explicit sequence. Rapp gets shot several times but makes it over to his now-fiancee just in time to see her become his ex-fiancee.

From here on in American Assassin becomes a vengeance-obsessed thriller and Rapp dedicates the next several months to become an MMA expert and a gun-toting killer whilst simultaneously infiltrating a terrorist cell. When he travels to meet them, the CIA, who have allegedly been “monitoring him for some time” charge in and take them all out. Rapp in frustration stabs the dead body of one of them repeatedly before being dragged away.

CIA Deputy Director Irene Kennedy, a role that wastes the talents of Sanaa Lathan, decides to hire Rapp rather than put him into prison, as any rational person would do.

A further step down into madness and Rapp’s character gets quick-fire training by former Navy SEAL Stan Hurley, played by Michael Keaton, to be one of his ‘Orion’ operatives. His first task is to stop World War III. A person who two years prior was just an average joe now holds the peace of the world on his shoulders.

Throw in Taylor Kitsch as ‘generic villain 001’, a nudity scene for the sake of the nudity scene and a finale with worse CGI than the James Bond glacial-surfing scene in Die Another Day and you have the makings of yet another 2017 flop film.

Although it isn’t addressed we can assume that many American people died in the climax to the film. None of that matters though because the main protagonist survives and the deceased aren’t introduced or developed as characters, going against the supposed main theme of the film that the death of innocent people is needless.

Through all the preposterousness you can kind of see what Cuesta intends; to find the gap between the young adult and crime genre, hopefully attracting both demographics. The final scene is purposefully left open-ended to hint at a sequel but anyone who enjoyed this film may find themselves waiting a very long time.

Pizza dough used three ways

Written by Anokhi Shah on . Posted in Food & Drink.

Basic recipe for the dough —

Ingredients:

4 mugs of plain flour

1 ½ tablespoon dried yeast

1 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

1 mug of warm milk and water mixed

Method

  1. Combine the flour, yeast, oil, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Add half the milk and water and stir the mixture with a spoon.
  3. Little by little, keep adding the milk and water slowly to the bowl. At this stage use your hands to bring the mixture into a dough.
  4. Use your own discretion regarding when to stop adding milk and water. If the dough becomes too sticky, don’t worry, just add some more flour.
  5. Cover the dough with a tea towel and leave to rise for at least 2 hours.

How to turn this dough into pizza:

Simply divide the dough into four and roll out into a circle on a well-floured board. This recipe will make four pizzas. Add sauce and toppings of your choice.

How to turn this dough into naan bread:

  1. Divide the dough into 8.
  2. Roll out into an oval shape on a well-floured board.
  3. Spread melted butter over the 8 naans (at this stage you can add toppings such as garlic, coriander and cumin on top of the melted butter).
  4. Heat a dry non-stick frying pan until it starts to smoke.
  5. Put the naan onto the pan, it will only need 1-2 minutes on each side.
  6. Enjoy your fluffy naan bread with a tasty curry or have as a snack with some hummus.

How to turn this dough into dough balls:

  1. Divide the dough into around 16-18 balls.
  2. Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes.
  3. Add garlic and oregano to some melted butter.
  4. Dip the balls into the buttery heaven and enjoy. (Additionally, the dough can be shaped into sticks and served with a garlic studded camembert)

 

 

 

 

 

Review: Victoria and Abdul

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Film.

Dame Judi Dench returns to her role as Queen Victoria, first debuted in John Madden’s Mrs Brown in 1997, and brings another unlikely friendship to our screens. Though this time not between a Queen and a Scottish commoner, but a weary ruler and her devoted Indian servant.

Victoria and Abdul sees Stephen Frears take on the final years of Queen Victoria’s life, portraying a depressed and haggard old woman who becomes transformed and bedazzled by a charming, young, Indian clerk, played by Ali Fazal. Victoria develops an obsessive fascination with Indian-Muslim culture, but Frears’ well-meaning period flick has a plain disregard for the wider international issues that shaped this complicit relationship with hierarchy, failing altogether to deliver a kind of resolution with which you could feel completely comfortable.

Dame Judi Dench is, as ever, wonderful at playing the sultry, self-righteous, figure of authority. But even her performance is not enough to save this glorification of servitude and grovelling, which is at best disguised as some sort of aspirational, unexpected friendship, defying all odds and taboos.

A stellar cast and strange moments of exaggerated comedy provided some light relief; Eddie Izzard playing stuffy Prince Bertie was the convincing villain of the story, and Michael Gambon as Lord Salisbury gave some humorous one-liners, but the comedy was often nonsensical, and simply added to the overall feeling of discomfort. I would question how appropriate and credible it was to include Abdul’s joke, “at least I think that’s the right way around!” when introducing his wife and mother-in-law, who were both wearing identical burqas.

At first, some of the exaggerated caricatures of pompous English aristocracy seemed like a promising satire, but this film was far from a critique or commentary. I think it was just trying to be ‘cute’. What it became instead was a validation of colonial servitude, and seems to absolve Queen Victoria of any responsibility.

It did, at times, try its best to portray some taboos being defied. The way Abdul’s wife slowly removes her burqa in front of the Queen to reveal a stunning, shimmery, colourful dress and decorated face, is a quietly beautiful moment; this celebration and understanding of this aspect of Muslim culture felt like something actually quite remarkable, in this otherwise unremarkable film. Victoria’s fascination with Indian-Muslim culture was a perhaps refreshing take on the era, but does little to erase the wider tensions of British rule in India — something I could not get out of my head for the entire hour and 52 minutes.

This film would (rightly) not have had the same capacity for charm and allure had the story been about a snooty king who develops a lustful and endearing fascination for an ‘exotic’ female servant. That said, even with the roles reversed, Victoria and Abdul falls short of the clearly attempted and anticipated appeal.

The final scene is nearly as baffling as trying to understand why someone fought to tell this story in the first place. In a moment — I imagine — intended to hit hard with poignant and emotional resolution, Abdul leans down and kisses the foot of a towering statue of Queen Victoria. As the camera zooms out, we see that the statue resides in the gardens near the Taj Mahal; Victoria got her wish to go after all.

As this was a story much more about Victoria’s lonely and depressed final years, and her lust for life resurrected by her Indian servant, it felt slightly redundant and morally obligated when the end credits explained “India gained independence from Britain in 1947.” Almost half a century after poor Abdul was whispering “Good morning” to a statue of the Queen of England.

Victoria and Abdul tries to be charming, endearing and heartfelt, but its emphasis on the Queen’s boisterous demands, inescapable loneliness, and frustration with the advisers surrounding her left little dialogue and focus on Abdul, who came across as a devoted, unquestioning servant. The Queen became his “most special person” for reasons never really explained. There’s probably not much truth to be found here, about which the film is fairly honest. It had some lovely moments and gave some small laughs, but I doubt, however, that this was a story worth telling.

2/5

New menu at Las Iguanas: adding some spice to chilly autumn days

Written by Anokhi Shah on . Posted in News.

Las Iguanas will launch a new autumn menu on the 26th of September 2017; 15 new additions will be heating up the menu, all bursting with the vibrant colours and bold flavours of Latin America.

The menu has been intricately designed by a team of highly-skilled chefs who love to discover unique flavours from across Latin America. They have their hearts set on bringing these flavours to life using high quality, fresh ingredients.

The new menu is full of exciting creations that will get your tongues tingling. For example, Ipanema Mussels — cooked in a lightly spiced lime, coriander, and coconut sauce and served with ciabatta to soak up the delicious broth.

The Seco de Cordero — a Peruvian-style dish that will have meat lovers drooling: lamb slow-cooked in golden ale, red wine and Amarillo chilli sauce, and served with sweet potato mash and crispy chilli onions.

For those who would prefer a vegetarian alternative, the Cauliflower and Corn Quinotto — a Peruvian-style quinoa risotto with smoked cheese, roasted cauliflower, and charred baby corn — sounds absolutely dreamy.

If you still have room for dessert, there are several new sweet treats on offer to continue your journey across the continent. From the Banana Empanada, where traditional pastry is hand-filled with banana, sweet plantain and glorious dulce de leche, served with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of rum flavoured syrup, to the Piña Colada Mess: piña colada ice cream served with caramelised pineapple salsa, crispy pineapple pieces and toasted coconut chips. These exotic tantalising desserts will have you daydreaming about tropical beaches!

To accompany taste-bud heaven, Las Iguanas have ALL COCKTAILS AVAILABLE FOR 2-4-1 ALL DAY EVERY DAY! Happy hour becomes happy days. Las Iguanas always use premium spirits, including their own award-winning, artisan Magnifica Cachaça.

With the addition of 14 new cocktails, there will certainly be a new and unique mix to suit all palates. There’s a Latin American take on the classic Porn Star Martini using Gosling’s Gold Rum, apricot, Funkin passionfruit, vanilla, pineapple, and a shot of cava, which sounds truly scrumptious. Additionally, a host of new sharing drinks are on the menu, for example the Alpaca Punch: El Dorado Rum, falernum, passionfruit, lime, and cranberry, topped up at the table with a bottle of Freixenet Cava.

The new autumn menu seems like the perfect excuse to bid farewell to summer or to round up your friends for a tasty, Latin-inspired catch up!

 

 

 

 

Review: God’s Own Country

Written by Esmee Samsworth on . Posted in Film.

Francis Lee’s directorial debut, God’s Own Country, is beautiful in its unapologetic and bold depiction of gay relationships and sex. Throughout the film, visual metaphor takes precedence over dialogue, creating a world that is naturalistic and sombre.

For the characters, Johnny and Gheorghe, some things don’t have to be spoken to be understood, and the things that they do say are all the more telling and powerful because of it.

Depictions of the English countryside have changed, fallen in and out of fashion over the decades. From Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s tamed vision of ‘the ground’s most gentle dimplement’, to the more rugged and Romantic imagery — Romantic in the same way that Mary Shelley decided to lose her virginity to Percy Shelley on her mother’s grave at midnight, not in the roses and chocolate way.

Thankfully though, Lee’s portrayal of the isolated village and farmland where the film is set has far more in common with the sublime than it does more passive and quaint portrayals. Indeed, this seems to be the trend among directors at the moment, and you can see the similarities between God’s Own Country and other British films such as Andrea Arnold’s adaptation of Wuthering Heights (2011) or Clio Bernard’s Dark River (2017).

The harsh, lonely countryside in God’s Own Country acts as a perfect visual metaphor for Johnny’s — excellently played by newcomer Josh O’Connor — state of being at the beginning of the film. Indeed, the opening shot is of Johnny throwing up the contents of his stomach — beer and bile — against the backdrop of the Yorkshire moors, just before sunrise.

A borderline alcoholic, Johnny spends his days working on the farm that has become his unwanted responsibility after his emotionally distant father — played by Ian Hart — falls seriously ill. His free time is spent drinking to excess in the local pub alone, or engaging in silent, anonymous sex. His resentment towards his father and feelings of being trapped on the sheep farm are highlighted in a brilliantly awkward scene between Johnny and an old school friend, Robyn — played by Patsy Ferran — who has since left the small village for university.

Things change when Gheorghe — beautifully portrayed by Alec Secareanu — a Romanian immigrant hired by Johnny’s father to help during the lambing season, arrives. With him, Gheorghe brings a kinder, more hopeful atmosphere with him, gently scooping out the mucus and rubbing life into the runt of the litter. The fact that he does not give up on the beast is obviously a foreign concept to John, who watched uncomprehendingly on.

Just as with the lamb, Gheorghe breathes life in Johnny and his family, offering a fresh perspective. For a time, the animosity felt between Johnny and Gheorghe at the start fades first into attraction and finally into something similar to domesticity.

However, we are never allowed to forget that the love story Lee deftly weaves before our eyes is not plain sailing. When a personal tragedy occurs, Johnny’s progression falters and his relationships with those closest to him once again begin to fail.

Josh O’Connor and Alec Secareanu share the kind of chemistry that all love interests should, and what’s more, they understand the deep and sometimes difficult emotions that this film tries to convey. It is a film about love, yes, but it is also about understanding oneself.

God’s Own Country could so easily tell the same story of heartbreak and tragedy that Ang Lee’s 2005 film Brokeback Mountain, and countless other films, novels, and TV shows tell about the gay relationships.  This trope is so widespread, lesbians dying once they’ve found love has become a meme. Lee, however, expertly carves out hope rather than gloom, from the the bleak stony hills that form the backdrop of this film.

Fashion player of the week: Adwoa Aboah

Written by Amy Nguyen on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

Deputy Fashion and Beauty Editor Amy Nguyen delves into the off-duty work of model and activist Adwoa Aboah as she is crowned our fashion player of the week.

Occupation: Model and Activist

Age: 25

Nationality: British (Ghanaian Origin)

Walked for: Dior, Chanel, Marc Jacobs, Alexander Wang, Burberry, Kenzo, Topshop, Coach, Fendi

Featured on: Business of Fashion, British Vogue, Italian Vogue, American Vogue, I-D Magazine, Love Magazine, ES Magazine

Campaigns for: H & M, Dior, Calvin Klein, Miu Miu, Gap, Versace

There is no dispute that Adwoa Aboah is strikingly beautiful. However, she is far more than meets the eye.

Awarded GQ’s Woman of the Year and pinned by the Business of Fashion as one of five hundred figures to be shaping the $2.4 trillion dollar fashion industry, Adwoah, we can fairly justify, is this season’s MVP.

Gracing the covers of Vogue, Love and I-D Magazine as well as walking the runway for Dior, Chanel and Burberry, her resume couldn’t spell out supermodel more if it tried.

It is not simply her beauty that has gained the attention of the industry and its peers alike but her repertoire of work off the runway that has brought Adwoa universal appeal.

Her story is one that is compelling in nature. Following her own battles with depression, addiction and attempted suicide, she created a network and online community named Gurls Talk which provides a voice to young women and raises issues of race and feminism. In conjunction with Coach, Adwoah hosted an event in London in July as a manifestation of this community and was attended by over 700 people.

The platform that she has created encourages conversation between the younger Generation X to look beyond the realms of Instagram to matters of higher importance such as racial equality, female sexuality, and addressing the taboos and stigma regarding mental health issues. It is her innate honesty and bravery in talking about her own experiences that I find most appealing about her character. It is this exact openness with her own personal struggles that promoted Dazed to define her as “the real thing.”

Under the new leadership of Edward Enninful and his strive for Vogue to become a voice for all different cultures, Adwoa will now be a contributing editor of British Vogue. Her authenticity, uniqueness, and encouragement to raise issues for those that do not have a voice signal to me that simply being conventionally beautiful isn’t enough anymore.

Interview: YolanDa Brown, the UK’s leading Saxophonist

Written by Kizzy Bray on . Posted in Features.

Passion is what keeps the world spinning. It’s what makes you get up in the morning and really want to partake in all this life stuff. After the release of ‘Love Politics War’ — her latest album this past June — YolanDa Brown, the UK’s leading saxophone soloist and two times MOBO award winner, took the time to chat with me about how she did what everyone dreams of: how she made her passion become her livelihood.

Much has changed for YolanDa since she picked up the sax at the age of thirteen. Self-taught and well versed in other instruments like the drums and piano, YolanDa’s love for music would stem from needing an emotional outlet, not for a grade or any kind of kudos.

“It was like writing in a diary,” YolanDa tells me. “As a teenager sometimes it’s pretty hard to process emotions! I could play what I wanted, improvise to how I felt.” Growing up in East London and later attending the University of Kent to study business, YolanDa was just like any other student, working hard and trying to enjoy her time. Making money out of her closeted talent wasn’t her first thought, but the music never took a back seat.

“I didn’t think about playing gigs, instead I just played for myself,” she tells me. “I tried to find clubs to join at my freshers fair but found the brass band was just too clinical. It was all about what grade you had. It wasn’t about the music really. I found myself shying away.” I’m sure students with a secret passion can relate. So many people I know are in bands, DJ on the side of studies or love singing in the shower. When you’re only 18 or so you might not have much money for music, which can be a pretty expensive hobby.

“Leaving university I started a fund, called the YolanDa Brown music award with the University of East London when they awarded me the Honorary Doctorate of Arts award. This was my way to give back to students as I know funding really helps. It’s important for young musicians to look for ways to get financial support as that’s what normally stops people from being able to play.”

Being able to find the time to sort out gigs can be pretty daunting, too. If you don’t find like-minded people at uni — which at first YolanDa didn’t — it’s a big deal to seek that out, to put yourself out there, and to discover what the world has to offer in music, but YolanDa urges you to try. For her, it wasn’t until she took an Erasmus year abroad in Spain that she truly felt like she belonged in a musical community. “That was the first time I found music to be played for the love of it, everyone was just there having a good time, that’s what I had craved all along. When I got back, between my undergrad and PhD I decided to join a band. For a while, it still wasn’t a career for me, but a passion. I started playing gigs in London, odd ones like a comedy night where I would be the only musician there, so it was a bit of an unorthodox introduction to the scene! But that’s how I grew my audience and they’ve been with me ever since.”

Being able to grow your audience is probably one of the most challenging but rewarding parts of being a musician. Knowing that other people appreciate what you do is what keeps the fire of your passions going, keeping you on track to keep creating. “We’re living in a totally different time where you can build your own audience. What with social media, you don’t have to study music to have a career in it. If you love playing music you will find those people who love it too and who really want you to succeed.”
“I had a sort of double life with my PhD at university and touring, spending my time growing my craft, audience and music. My first concert was in 2007 which had a capacity of 600 and we sold out. I remember standing in the room at the end thinking, ‘this is it, I get it now.’ This will be my 10th year as a solo saxophonist and I haven’t looked back.”

Photo: YolanDa Brown

It seems YolanDa really has taken the world by storm. Now a two-times ‘Best Jazz’ MOBO award winner, she talked to me about how it feels to be recognised for your talents and where that’s taken her.

“It was amazing. An award is something great to hang onto, something you can see as a way to say ‘keep going’. The best part about it all was the fact that the MOBO was publically voted rather than decided by a panel of professionals. That gives you that encouragement that people actually want to hear what you have to say!”

With two wins in her pocket, YolanDa hasn’t changed who she is or why she plays. She still sells out shows and makes new music by being who she is and doing what makes her happy — the music. Her new album ‘Love Politics War’ came out this past June and you can really hear the love that went into it. Wonderfully soulful with an exciting combination of reggae beats and a jazz style, the music is a beautiful overflow of different cultural influences. YolanDa tells me this all came from her own upbringing, with Jamaican heritage and her parents’ varied music tastes, the album totally encapsulates her love of experimentation and a wonderfully warm nostalgia that will get you dancing.

“Different music styles were what I naturally listened to growing up, my dad had collections of all different types of music. He would play a lot of reggae, Cuban music and Latin jazz, as well as things like gospel. I would always go to the ballet and musical theatre as well. It means I play what I feel, anything I like. Which is why maybe my first album was too much of a mish-mash of that!” She laughs. “But my new album has the variety which works well at live gigs, there’s definitely something for everyone!”

With the new upcoming tour this autumn and a gig at Band on the Wall in Manchester on the 29th of October, YolanDa told us about previous times playing in the powerhouse of music that is our city.

“I played in Manchester on my tour with Billy Ocean, and a year ago I performed with special guests, so this year is my first time just me and my quartet. Mancunians are definitely vibrant! I played at Bridgewater Hall where you would expect a certain type of person but there was so much variety. Everyone was dancing, which I highly encourage! Definitely, Mancunians all get into the vibe of the night!”

I’m sure the night at Band on the Wall will be as much fun as her beautiful new album ‘Love Politics War’ which you can find on both Spotify and Apple Music. I can’t wait to see the crowds getting funky and having a groove along with YolanDa herself!

If you’d like to also ‘get into the vibe of the night’ see YolanDa’s website http://www.yolandabrown.co.uk for news and updates about new music and the upcoming tour.

Fashion week: Diversity takes centre stage

Written by Talia Lee-Skudder on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

The fashion industry is now making a concerted effort to embrace diversity and celebrate real women; from Ashley Graham to Winnie Harlow and Halima Aden, these women are part of the changing face of fashion. The appointment of Edward Enninful as the new Vogue Editor-in-Chief earlier this year heralded a new era for the magazine as he completely re-shaped the predominantly white team of his predecessor, Alexandra Shulman.

Enninful’s new team consists of big-name stars such as Naomi Campbell, Pat McGrath and model of the moment and activist Adwoa Aboah. This new team celebrates inclusivity and diversity.

However, it is not just Vogue that is making waves; a number of fashion houses are trying to make their runway shows more diverse. Alex Bruni represented the older models and participated in diversity in fashion workshop at Somerset House as part of the week’s events. Bruni, 59, only began modelling in her 40s and it is her trademark silver-grey hair that is part of her allure and what makes her the unique, sought after model that she is.

Further, following walking for labels such as Tory Burch, Marc Jacobs, and Oscar De La Renta this NYFW, model Teddy Quinlivan has revealed publicly that she is a transgender woman. Quinlivan stated that she felt obliged to come out as transgender given the political climate and to express her support for the LGBT community. Quinlivan said: “If being transgender is something that gets attached to my name throughout my career, then it’s for a worthy cause. But I look forward to the day when it doesn’t matter.”

However, the spotlight was on brand Teatum Jones who had two physically disabled models walk in their ‘The body part two’ show.  The line up included model Vicky Blach, who lost her leg when the ride at Alton Towers malfunctioned in 2015. She looked stunning as walked the runway in an olive green knitted dress with minimal makeup.  Model Kelly Knox took to the runway to walk for the brand for the second time. Later she tweeted “Kat and Rob are the most beautiful souls who truly believe in diversity.”

The show was a follow up to the AW17 show in February this year which was entitled ‘The Body, Part One’. The first show was memorable for its soundtrack that featured Meryl Streep’s critique of Donald Trump mocking a disabled journalist. Designers Catherine Teatum and Rob Jones’ goal is to focus on disability fashion and gain representation for those with a disability.

Whilst there is admittedly still a long way to go, with brands like Teatum Jones and Edward Enninful leading the way the future looks bright for a more representative and inclusive fashion industry.