Day: 9 October 2017

Stranger Danger: Uber ban should make us reconsider our technology habits

Written by Tilly Gambarotto on 9th October 2017. Posted in Opinion.

Whilst some focus on the Black Cab v Uber rivalry, we should be thinking about the way apps have devaluated safety concerns in an age that prioritizes low prices, speed and ease at the tap of a finger.

It’s a familiar scene; the treacherous concoction of pre-drinks, a blurry dance floor with questionable breathing space and several shots of an unknown spirit later and the participating socialites of a night out are often left unable to operate with the basic coordination of a respectable human being. YOLO, right? Thankfully, our trusty app is always on hand to ensure a taxi driver is never more than a few taps away to provide you with a speedy, economical journey home. Not that you can remember your address right now.

With just under 2 million Uber users in London alone, it is unsurprising that Transport For London’s (TFL) recent decision not to renew their operating license in the capital has caused somewhat of a stir. The popular reaction has ranged from annoyance at the impending inconvenience, to the spread of a petition, now with nearly 750,000 signatories, urging TFL to revoke the ban. The familiar conflict between Uber and black cab drivers has also resurfaced: “TFL has only banned Uber because they are cutting into their profits from black cabs,” I have heard suggested.

Of course, the sceptics might be right about TFL’s motives. To focus our grievances on this economic rivalry or the inconvenience of losing the use of an app that has become so habitual, however, is to completely miss the point.

TFL has stated Uber’s “lack of corporate responsibility… [which has] potential public safety and security implications” as the motivation behind their decision. The failure to focus on this justification says a lot about the landslide in modern society’s expectations for safety, and to blindly campaign for Uber’s return distracts us from the very issues central to its downfall.

One need only register as an Uber driver online to see that TFL’s safety concerns are less than exaggerated. The process requires only basic personal details, a scan of the driver’s license and a DVLA check. An application, aided by Uber, can then be made to the local council for a private hire driver’s license. Admittedly, the need to consent to a criminal background check was a minor consolation. However, the lack of any kind of personal contact with the employer calls into question the selection process — or lack thereof.

The requirements for awarding a license to a black cab driver prove a much more comforting read: medical reports, character checks, 1-2-1 examinations and a knowledge test of London’s streets deemed one of the most difficult in the world are just a few of the hurdles faced by budding cabbies. Whilst it might seem excessive, the application process for black cab drivers actually reflects the seriousness of the job. Drivers, after all, are responsible for the safe transport of those who are in a vulnerable position, often lost, drunk, travelling from abroad, alone or at night.

The ease and low prices offered by the taxi app have allowed safety concerns traditionally impressed upon us as early as childhood to slip our minds. ‘Stranger danger’ seems to lose all persuasiveness when the offer of a cheap ride presents itself. TFL’s decision has offered one of the first hindrances to a trend in the use of technology that has seen the question of personal safety almost entirely cast aside in favour of ease and low cost.

From the onset of an apparent Tinder obsession to the release of Schpock: The Boots Sale App, apps have progressively encouraged users to connect, meet, and make often personal exchanges with other users. A smiley picture and short bio go a long way in throwing off any fears about the fact that those behind the profile (or steering wheel) remain complete strangers. When considered this way, the drunken scene mentioned earlier becomes significantly more alarming.

After refusing to make the requested changes to their selection process for drivers in Texas, Uber has also been banned in Austin. Sydney is reportedly considering an investigation into the operation of the app since TFL’s ruling.

Since London is not the only city to express concern about the laxity of Uber’s employment process, perhaps the most productive use of the current climate would be to pressure Uber to improve its security measures to the extent that it would be allowed to continue operating as opposed to simply campaigning for its unmodified return. Sure, this might take longer, but the result would see safety risks reduced across all participating cities, and avoid a domino effect of Uber bans as other regulatory bodies jump on the TFL bandwagon. Worth a few walks home in the meantime, I would say.

Is this what modern Spanish democracy looks like at its worst?

Written by Mancunion on 9th October 2017. Posted in Opinion.

On 15 March 2011, Arab Spring demonstrators were marching on the streets of Damascus, Syria, for the first time demanding democratic reforms and the release of political prisoners. It wouldn’t take long for President Bashar al-Assad’s security forces to retaliate by opening fire on the protesters, who shot back for the first time in July.

The manner in which the Spanish government reacted to the ‘illegal’ referendum taking place in Catalonia certainly differed in terms of gravity and motivation from Assad’s response six years earlier. However, despite the numerous differences between the two political structures and social frameworks, both administrations, when seeing their integrity challenged, chose to eventually resort to one thing: violence.

And when state violence replaces political dialogue, the ideological boundaries that outline democracy become blurred. Because democracy, from whichever standpoint you were to look, is a system that encapsulates values such as freedom of speech and thought, the protection of human and civil rights, and the provision of a safe space in which individuals can work freely to achieve their goals. Which is why state-commissioned aggression is naturally correlated to political systems that require it in order to further their power-hoarding interests.

When a regime resorts to violence, it’s a signal of systemic oppression, and not of a functional democracy. That suggests the regime does not value the choices of its people, and it signifies a betrayal of its self-asserted democratic values. And on the day of the referendum, not only did the Spanish government infringe upon some of the most basic of liberal principles, but it put people’s personal safety to risk. In their defence, the Spanish authorities have brought up the issue of the referendum’s legality.

But to say that because the referendum was ‘illegal’ and ‘unconstitutional’ justifies an aggressive resolution on the state’s side is to innocently believe that, firstly, just because something is legal, that makes it inherently good. Naturally, from the state’s point of view, it would be counter-intuitive to offer a legal pathway to a separatist movement, which is why one is not legally available — but that does not make it sacred or untouchable. Laws change. Secondly and perhaps more importantly, it is irresponsible to believe that violence, no matter how severe, is the only way to respond to law breaking. And while it may be a legitimate response to specific criminal activities, do peaceful people trying to express their views through voting really fall into that category?

This is what actually links the way in which the national security operated to the motivation behind it all. What this violent series of events highlights is the Spanish government’s desperation to retain Catalonia at any price. A rational democratic government does not simply charge at its citizens and put them in the hospital. But when everything fails, after seizing 10 million ballots and ballot boxes, arresting Catalan key officials, closing polling stations (and the list can go on), Spanish authorities resorted to brutality.

It comes to show just how important Catalonia is to Spain. Naturally, with it being among the most prosperous areas in the country, generating more than one-fifth of the total GDP, Catalonia felt indispensable. In fact, the Spanish government put so much emphasis on not losing Catalans that it went so far as to authorise them being kicked, punched, and having them be hit with batons. Insofar as instruments of persuasion go, if up to now a significant part of Catalans were unsure of their position towards independence, it is reasonable to believe that the proportions have now been consequently altered.

While Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy considers that police acted with “firmness and serenity”, European Union representatives have been rather shy and hesitant to condemn the Spanish police’s brutality and its overall response has been limited. Thus, from the outside, it felt as if the EU was torn, as if it were stuck, trying to make an impossible choice: to silently condone state violence, or to be seen as indirectly tolerating a separatist movement inside a member state even if, logically, that is not the case.

Democracy is fragile. Firing rubber bullets at your own citizens and dragging them by the hair out of polling stations is not the way to strengthen it. But, somehow, the Spanish government concluded that was the best way to affirm its position, and now, while it tries to pretend nothing wrong has happened, the fractures in Spanish democracy have left a mark that the Catalans, if not the entire international community, will not — and should not — forget anytime soon.

HOME Cinema Preview: 6th October

Written by James Gill on 9th October 2017. Posted in Film.

Films opening at HOME this week:

Blade Runner 2049

Directed by Denis Villeneuve — Rated 15

Thirty years after the events in Ridley Scott’s seminal sci-fi, a new Blade Runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Deckard (Harrison Ford) who has been missing for 30 years. Acclaimed director Denis Villeneuve (Sicario) delivers perhaps the most eagerly anticipated film of the year.

Click here to book tickets

The Glass Castle

Directed by Destin Cretton — Rated 12A

Chronicling the adventures of an eccentric, resilient and tight-knit family, The Glass Castle brings Jeannette Walls’ best-selling memoir to life as a young woman who, influenced by the joyfully wild nature of her deeply dysfunctional father (Woody Harrelson), found the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, of the acclaimed Short Term 12.

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The Reagan Show

Directed by Sierra Pettengill, Pacho Velez — Rated PG

The Reagan Show is an all-archival documentary about the original performer/president’s role of a lifetime. Teasing apart the spectacle at the heart of finger-on-the-button global diplomacy, the film follows Reagan’s rivalry with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, tracing how the Communicator-in-Chief used his public relations expertise to overcome Soviet mistrust, the objections of a sceptical press corps, and the looming threat of WWIII. Brimming with wit and political irony, and told solely through 1980s network news and videotapes created by the Reagan administration itself, the film explores Reagan’s made-for-TV approach to politics as he faced down the United States’ greatest rival.

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Blood Simple: Director’s Cut

Directed by Joel Coen, Ethan Coen — Rated 15

Joel and Ethan Coen’s thrilling debut feature; a stylish, imaginative and hard-boiled neo-noir marked their arrival as distinctive new cinematic voices. This new restoration has been overseen by the Coens and the film’s cinematographer, Barry Sonnenfeld. Immediately pulpy and cultish in feel, Blood Simple possesses all the characteristics that propelled the Coens to later success: razor-sharp dialogue; a predilection for lethal and futile violence; ironic, fatalistic humour; and an inventive focus on the tragicomic lives of idiosyncratic misfits.

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The Road to Mandalay

Directed by Midi Z

Taiwan-based Burmese filmmaker Midi Z returns with his fourth feature, The Road to Mandalay, and arguably his best work to date. Continuing his preoccupation with Burmese exiles in this love story about two illegal immigrants searching for a better life in Bangkok, Midi Z powerfully presents the trials and tribulations of those seeking to escape conflict and poverty in Burma, resorting to human traffickers to cross the border into a less than welcoming Thailand.

An eerie soundscape alongside dreamlike, and almost surreal sequences amplify the disillusionment, displacement and alienation felt by both the characters, albeit with quite differing views of starting a new life as immigrants.

Midi Z’s regular actress Wu Ke-xi gives a striking performance alongside Taiwanese star Kai Ko in this outstanding drama, firmly placing Midi Z among the top contemporary Asian social realist filmmakers today.

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Pecking Order

Directed by Slavko Martinov — Rated PG

Join members of the 148-year-old ‘Christchurch Poultry, Bantam and Pigeon Club’ in the lead up to the New Zealand National Show, as they battle history (and each other) in their quest for glory. Audiences will be introduced to an endearing and eclectic group of ‘chick fanciers’, each hoping to take away the top prize, including Doug the determined Club President, Rhys the young upstart, Sarah the chicken whisperer, Ian the exacting judge, Mark the voice of reason and Brian the lovable champion.

Click here to bawk bawk tickets

Films continuing this week:

Daphne

Directed by Peter Mackie Burns — Rated 15

Scottish filmmaker Peter Mackie Burns marks his transition into features with this tightly focused, remarkably authentic character study of brittle 31-year-old Londoner Daphne (Beecham). Daphne has ‘sort of given up on people’ as she goes through the motions of her busy life, working as a cook in a London restaurant and through a series of drug-fuelled hook-ups. She resists genuine intimacy in her few friendships and rejects her mother’s attempts to engage. When she witnesses a violent robbery, she’s thrown into chaos and finally begins to confront the person she’s become.

Cut from the same explicit, ironic, confessional cloth as Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s internationally successful BBC TV series Fleabag, Daphne offers us a female protagonist who can be as fiercely unlikeable as she is compelling to watch.

Click here to book tickets

In Between

Directed by Maysaloun Hamoud — Rated 15

In director Maysaloun Hamoud’s remarkable feature debut, three Palestinian women sharing an apartment in the vibrant heart of Tel Aviv find themselves caught in the same balancing act between tradition and modernity, and citizenship and culture.

Click here to book tickets

Mother!

Directed by Darren Aronofsky — Rated 18

A couple’s relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence. From filmmaker Darren Aronofsky of Black Swan and Requiem for a Dream fame, Mother! stars Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer in a potent psychological thriller about love, devotion and sacrifice.

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God’s Own Country

Directed by Francis Lee — Rated 15

Johnny, a young sheep farmer from Yorkshire, has sacrificed his own life choices to run the family farm. As lambing season approaches, much to Johnny’s initial resentment, migrant worker Gheorghe is hired to assist. Gheorghe proves he not only understands this farming life but more importantly, he understands Johnny.

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Special events taking place this week:

7th October — The Sleep Curse + Q&A

Directed by Herman Yau — Rated 18

This blood-drenched horror reunites the legendary duo of director Herman Yau and actor Anthony Wong for this tale of a neurologist whose father worked for the Japanese in occupied Hong Kong, and whose legacy of guilt lives on in his son’s dreams… and nightmares. Be warned: this is Asia Extreme! This screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Herman Yau.

Click here to book tickets

8th October — Sara + Q&A

Directed by Herman Yau — Rated 18

Director Herman Yau returns to a more socially conscious filmmaking in this morally complex, but ultimately moving story of a woman who, following a life of exploitation, decides to try and do something so others don’t have to suffer as she did. This screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Herman Yau.

Click here to book tickets

8th October — Metropolis

Directed by Fritz Lang — Rated PG

This visionary Fritz Lang classic from 1927 is celebrated for the first appearance of a robot in a feature-length film. Created in female form, the fake Maria leads factory workers to rise up and destroy the machines that rule them.

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9th October — Raving Iran

Directed by Susanne Regina Meures — Rated 15

Anoosh and Arash are at the centre of Tehran’s underground techno scene. But dodging police, lying to government officials and having to peddle their recordings on the black market takes its toll. They decide to organise a final secret rave in the desert when Anoosh is arrested. In a country where the routine ‘eat, sleep, rave, repeat’ is a punishable political act, salvation comes when they are invited to perform at the biggest techno festival in the world.

Click here to book tickets

10th October — Blade Runner: The Director’s Cut + Intro

Directed by Ridley Scott — Rated 15

Set in 2019, Deckard (Harrison Ford) is assigned to ‘retire’ six rogue replicants who have returned to earth from an off-world colony. During his search, he becomes obsessed with Rachael (Sean Young), an advanced replicant who causes him to question the nature of humanity.

This screening will be introduced by writer and presenter Gia Milinonvich to talk about the underlying theme of ‘female’ robots in the DM17 selection of films at HOME this year.

Click here to book tickets

10th October — Handsworth Song

Part of HOME’s Black History Month season

Directed by John Akomfrah — Rated 15

A Grierson-winning film essay on race and civil disorder in 1980s Britain and the inner city riots of 1985, Handsworth Songs takes as its point of departure the civil disturbances of September and October 1985 in the Birmingham district of Handsworth and in the urban centres of London. The ‘song’ in the title does not reference musicality but instead invokes the idea of documentary as a poetic montage of associations, familiar from the British documentary cinema of Grierson and Jennings.

Click here to book tickets

11th October — Her

Directed by Spike Jonze — Rated 15

Set in the near future, Spike Jonze’s prescient film follows Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix), a man who develops a relationship with Samantha, an artificial computer operating system, personified with a female voice (Scarlett Johansson).

Click here to book tickets

12th October — October (Ten Days that Shook the World)

Part of HOME’s A Revolution Betrayed Film Season

Directed by Sergei M. Eisenstein, Grigoriy Aleksandrov — Rated PG

One of the most famous productions by one of the Soviet Union’s most important filmmakers, October was commissioned to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the October Revolution. Its official status meant that Eisenstein had great resources to hand as he recreated iconic events, such as the storming of the Winter Palace. However, his formal experiments meant that the film met with some disapproval within official circles.

Click here to book tickets

Review: Bravado

Written by Sophie Graci on 9th October 2017. Posted in Theatre.

I have never felt more uncomfortable being a woman at the theatre. The pub setting of Scottee’s Bravado is, as another female audience member puts it, “almost like it’s staged.” It feels like the men at the bar are staring at me as I walk into The Britons Protection; just about five minutes walk away from the safety of HOME. I feel like I’m running the gauntlet just to get into the space to see the performance.

That anxiety pervades the entire performance: from the trigger warnings flashing blue and white on the crackling televisions that make up the set, to the graphic depictions of violence on a North London council estate in the 1990s. Writer/director Scottee is physically absent and an audience volunteer is asked to perform the piece in its entirety; another source of anxiety at the top of the show: it takes an uncomfortably long time for anyone to put themselves forward. We are left to squirm in our seats until someone does.

The 1990s aesthetic looms large over the whole piece – we’re transported back in time through visuals and audio. The televisions that make up the set play clips from TV shows, video games, and adverts (Robot Wars and Men Behaving Badly, Yorkie: ‘it’s not for girls,’ Street Fighter), Oasis tracks act as musical interludes to break up the action. Marty Langthorne’s frenetic, unpredictable lighting design only adds to the sensory overload.

The show is split into four sections – blood, spit, tears, cum – but these distinctions are almost arbitrary. Masculinity in Bravado is the combination of these things. One particular scene in ‘Spit’ details an early sexual encounter between Scottee and “O’Malley.” It’s a functional exchange on O’Malley’s side: there is no kissing on the mouth, and he spits in Scottee’s face after he orgasms. Sex is a violent display of power and superiority.

The theme of desire comes up repeatedly: Scottee’s need for love and approval from the men in his life, whilst simultaneously despising them for everything they’ve put him through. He wants them to die; he wants them to love him.

The years flashing up on the TV screens drive it home – what has really changed? The toxicity of masculinity is still as pervasive 25 years later. We jump to 2016, Euston Station. Slurs are yelled his way; no one wants to help him. Boys will be boys. Scottee wants to punch something and he doesn’t know why. The boys from the estate may still be bound by ‘brotherhood and bravado’ but even a man who positions himself in opposition to his gender cannot fully escape masculinity’s terrifying manifestations.

Thomas the Tank Engine helps campaigners unite against transport cuts

Written by Max Brimelow on 9th October 2017. Posted in News, Science & Tech.

On the morning of Monday the 2nd October, Manchester Friends of the Earth gathered supporters at the Central Library to urge politicians to contribute money towards the rail electrification project that Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has threatened could be put to the axe.

With the help of ‘Thomas the Tank Engine’ and a pre-pay meter sandwich board, Friends of the Earth supporters staged the stunt to raise awareness of the possible cuts as Conservative politicians gathered for the annual Tory Party Conference in Central Manchester.

The campaigners pressed Conservative MPs and conference delegates to push back against inequitable funding for the North and towards much-needed improvements. The planned changes had until recently included the electrification of several Northern train routes as well as the widening and addition of platforms at Manchester Piccadilly.

Friends of the Earth see these improvements as critical to combatting issues of air pollution, climate change, and overcrowding.

“We wanted to use humour to engage delegates to the Conservative Party conference and encourage them to tell government ministers they need to honour their pledges and rail commitments,” said Pete Abel, a volunteer with the Manchester Friends of the Earth sustainable transport campaign, who was present at the demonstration.

“Our stunt was only a small part of an on-going campaign by transport campaigners, local authorities, political, and business leaders across the North to get proper investment in Cross Rail for the North and rail electrification to deliver faster and better train services, improve air quality and reduce climate emissions from transport.”

Transport is a key area for climate concern in Britain and the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions. Road transport alone is responsible for around 25 percent of total UK emissions. However, the government is increasingly falling behind on its targets.

18 months ago, Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom pledged a 100 percent reduction in emissions by 2050, but that figure has since been reduced to 80 percent, leading some to accuse the government of doing too little to combat climate change.

Perhaps most importantly, the campaign speaks to the larger problem of disproportionate government investment in London compared with the North of England. Statistics show that some parts of the North receive less than a tenth of the investment per person that Londoners do on transport.

Supporters were outraged when Chris Grayling expressed support for a ‘Cross Rail 2’ project in London at the cost of at least £31 billion, shortly after plans for its Northern equivalent were thrown into doubt.

With the help of Manchester Friends of the Earth, over 87,000 people have now signed a petition calling for Mr Grayling to pledge his backing for a Northern Powerhouse Rail Programme as well as at least £59 billion ‘catch-up cash’ over the coming decade to support transport initiatives in the North. The petition also calls for Transport for the North to be empowered to the same level of autonomy enjoyed by Transport for London.

Some measure of success was achieved today as Chancellor Philip Hammond announced £300 million of funding is to be made available towards the Northern rail investment project.

“The Thomas the Tank Engine event received a lot of interest and publicity on social media but true success will be measured when Ministers’ actions match their warm words,” added Mr Abel. “The announcement of £300 million for rail investment is to be welcomed but is a drop in the ocean of the funding required to rebalance transport investment.”

It seems that for Manchester Friends of the Earth, and for the future of Northern rail travel, the battle is far from over.

Daisy and Anokhi take a trip down Biko Street

Written by Mancunion on 9th October 2017. Posted in News.

For students new and old, the refurbishment of the Students’ Union is an exciting and anticipated project that is sure to transform its role in our everyday lives. The main feature of this refurbishment has been the creation of Biko Street, essentially a ‘road’ of caterers who serve food from the union throughout the day. Prior to its expansion, the SU had only one main food vendor. However, it now has four hubs where different cuisines and beverages are served. These hubs can be found in the ‘EAT’ section of the ground floor and they are sure to provide diversity to our lunch times.

Photo: University of Manchester Students’ Union

BREW — Brew is the new name and home to the counter that used to sell paninis, jacket potatoes and Starbucks in the old SU. It now predominantly serves Starbucks beverages including coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.

Photo: University of Manchester Students’ Union

BURRITO CANTINA — voted for by students, Burrito Cantina is here to bring the heat. Serving a wide range of burritos, it caters for both vegetarian and meat-loving students.

Review: Priced at £4.50 you certainly get your money’s worth. We chose a pulled chicken burrito and it was definitely big enough to share, jam-packed with rice, salad, beans, guacamole and cheese. The perfect lunch if you are ravenous.

Photo: University of Manchester Students’ Union

GLOBAL KITCHEN — This exciting new enterprise aims to introduce students to a range of cuisines from around the world. The cuisine on offer will rotate every semester which gives students the opportunity to discover something new.

Meal Deals:

Soup and Panini £4.50 — add a canned soft drink for £5
‘Taste of’ Special £4.50
‘Taste of’ meal deal £5

Review: Paninis come in a huge selection of flavours including roast Mediterranean veg, tuna melt, spicy meatball, Jamaican jerk, lime and coriander, Greek feta, Spanish chorizo, BBQ chicken and bacon and brie which we had the privilege of tasting.

Photo: University of Manchester Student’s Union

THE VEGGIE HUT — In order to cater towards a growing number of students who have decided to ditch the meat, the SU has introduced a hub that serves predominantly vegetarian dishes. From jacket potatoes to an extensive salad bar, those of you seeking a lighter meal will not be left disappointed.

Review: The salad bar did not live up to expectations and I would seriously opt for the Morrison’s £3 salad box instead. The choice of salad is slightly bland and the pasta options are lacking with just plain pasta to choose from. However, the smoothies we tried were fantastic and they are currently £1 off. We tried the detox smoothie which contained pineapple, apple, spinach, kale, ginger and lemon — super tasty and SO good for you! They also have ‘energy’ and ‘defence’ smoothies to suit all your smoothie needs. Smoothies are made fresh to order and supplied by Packd.

Impressively, Biko street has put into practice the ethos of the students’ union and much of the student community. They have pledged to only serve FairTrade hot beverages and to only use free range eggs in their produce. Furthermore, all the disposable cutlery and containers that are provided by the food hubs are 100% biodegradable. This is an impressive step towards reducing the university’s overall carbon footprint and demonstrates that the Students’ Union has taken on board our environmental concerns.

Live Review: Lorde Reigns at Melodrama Tour

Written by Calum Pinder on 9th October 2017. Posted in Music.

Tuesday 26th September at O2 Apollo

At 20 years old, Lorde has begun touring her second album. This is no minor feat; the success of her debut album Pure Heroin shot her to global stardom and has had her touring the world for the last 5 years. However, she found the time to write a follow-up and it didn’t suffer any ‘second album syndrome’. In fact, Melodrama takes inspiration from all the ways her life has changed and uses it to craft something fantastic. Themes of small-town boredom are replaced by the grandeur of pop stardom.

The support act for the first gig of the Melodrama tour is Texan singer Khalid. Unfortunately, his simple style of R&B isn’t particularly exciting. Basic drum rhythms back up rather bland vocals whilst Khalid dances his way between poses. It’s not bad music but it’s certainly nothing new. Towards the end of his performance, things pick up. Khalid seems to find his sweet spot with the penultimate track ‘Location’. It’s a slick and woozy slow jam that gets the crowd swaying.

After a short break, the onstage curtain drops and the set is revealed. An LED astronaut and an old cathode ray TV frame the stage. Lorde enters to open with ‘Magnets’ and the crowd erupts. Despite the main portion of her fanbase being roughly the same age as her, it is interesting to look around and spot a large number of 30 and 40 somethings singing along with equal fervour. However, as the show continues it becomes less surprising.

It’s a pop concert in the ‘good old-fashioned’ sense. Costume changes, set changes, and huge amounts of onstage energy turn this gig into a full-on spectacle. Despite being such a young artist, Lorde’s onstage confidence is staggering. She commands stage and crowd alike whilst reeling through her set with a seemingly endless reserve of energy.

There are some weak moments. When performing ‘World Alone’ it feels as if Lorde is somewhat less comfortable with the vocals. Also, the following cover of Phil Collins’ ‘In The Air Tonight’ is certainly an interesting choice. However, it is not a track that’s ideally suited to Lorde’s more energetic and driving style.

The real high points of the set come in the form of hits off of the new album. The fantastic piano ballad ‘Liability’ loses none of its tenderness performed in front of a crowd of 3,500 people. ‘Supercut’ and ‘Perfect Places’ allow Lorde to truly shine with subtle keyboards and shimmering synths respectively backing Lorde’s dazzling performance. The crowd becomes more fervent with every beat and the lyrics ‘let’s kiss and then take off our clothes’ cause a number of t-shirts to find their way onstage.

The show reaches a climax with the joyous ‘Green Light’. However, peculiarly, Lorde chooses to perform an encore of ‘Loveless’. The slow second act to ‘Hard Feelings’ is a slightly underwhelming end to such an exciting concert. However leaving the venue, the atmosphere remains electric. If anyone has a chance to see Lorde over the next year you will not be disappointed.

8/10

An obvious solution to a big problem

Written by Holly James on 9th October 2017. Posted in Opinion.

Last year, I worked in a small shop in Oxford — it was tiny, and the successful retailer we worked for would not agree to move us to a bigger shop because renting prices in the area were extortionate. A 5×2 metre space was meant to serve as our office, staff room, kitchen, and stock room, and this was obviously impossible.

Several years prior, the businesses which occupied the four floors above us were pushed out by the rent prices and kindly gave us the keys to use while the space was empty. Several years later, we were using the space as our stock room, staff room, and kitchen, but this did not even begin to make a dent in the space. Most of the building, located on Oxford’s main high street, was empty and disused, while on the other side of the road tens of homeless people were asleep in doorways.

This is a familiar scene across a country in the midst of a housing crisis.

Unaffordable property and rent prices have led to a sharp rise in homelessness where we have a generation of people for whom renting is the only available option and there is increased pressure on councils to provide housing.

This has led to many calls for the development of new, more affordable houses across the country. Both Theresa May and London Mayor Sadiq Khan have pledged billions of pounds to the development of homes concentrated in London and other major cities across the UK.

Many have called for the green belt to be opened up for development to allow cities to expand to fit this demand for housing. However, surely this is overlooking a resource that we already have in great numbers: that is, empty homes.

According to DCLG Housing Statistics, there were more than 635,000 homes lying empty in England in 2012 with other sources estimating around 1.4 million properties empty as of 2017. Surveys have shown that 79 percent of people think that the government should focus on refurbishing existing properties, and 81 percent would avoid living in new builds. This is hardly surprising, the recently unveiled plans

This is hardly surprising — the recently unveiled plans for Sadiq Khan’s ‘naked’ homes looking more akin to the backdrop of a Samuel Beckett play than a family home.

In Oxford, we were technically squatting the space we used. This can provide a temporary solution and is often an important form of political activism — the recent group at the old cinema on Oxford Road being one local example — but it is not a safe or long-term solution to housing.

Despite this, it is the best option for the thousands of homeless people across the country, yet squatters continue to be evicted with no alternative solution but to return to sleeping rough. When this happens, councils are allowing properties to lie empty and fall into disrepair while many sleep without a roof over their head.

Not only is this bad for the thousands who are homeless and the millions struggling to pay rent, but failing to recognise the opportunity in these empty homes is a threat to the environment. Not only does it take a huge amount of energy and resources to build new homes, but to keep developing we risk impinging on the vital green space both in and outside of cities.

The homes are more often than not less durable and hardy than their predecessors and create entire communities of clinical and cold houses which lack the character and beauty of many old buildings left neglected. Above all, it is absolutely unacceptable that hundreds of thousands of houses lie empty at a time when people desperately need places to live, either paying extortionate prices to do so or not being able to afford to at all.

This is a scandal that has been brought to light most recently in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire, with many surviving residents of the tower block still living in hotels or temporary accommodation. This is in one of the most affluent areas of London with many large properties across Kensington lying empty, as disused or second homes or belonging to foreign investors.

It is clear that our greatest resource in facing the housing crisis lies in utilising empty homes, which need to be opened up for property guardianship or, better yet, acquired by councils to be used as social housing or refurbished and rented or sold at affordable prices.

Homes are a necessity, not a luxury. The government must be called on to provide this housing without needlessly wasting resources and land.

Record Reappraisal: Radiohead – In Rainbows

Written by Jay Plent on 9th October 2017. Posted in Music.

Timeless is a term often thrown around for albums, and it could certainly be applied to many of Radiohead’s releases. Whilst October marks the 17th anniversary of Kid A, it also marks, in my eyes, a more significant milestone: a decade since the truly timeless In Rainbows…

It’s an album of striking intimacy and intensity. It was striking on release, when the band asked you, the listener, to attribute monetary value to it. It remains just as striking to this day. Still a deeply atmospheric, shudderingly emotional ride that never lulls, remaining utterly captivating throughout.

The band has never felt so direct. From the frenetic energy of ’15 Step’ and ‘Bodysnatchers’ through to the devastating loss of ‘All I Need’ and the howling refrains of ‘Videotape’, the album is crafted to absolute perfection. Radiohead catapults you onto a deeply personal journey, bringing strands from every aspect of Radiohead’s career into a gorgeous patchwork, rife with the band’s past and poised to leap into their future.

And by God is that journey intense. The thematic skill with which this album delineates loss is staggering, always on the edge of an emotional outpour, always ready to break, but always held together in a delicate balance.

Their most subtle release, new details and textures reveal themselves with every repeat listen. The tracks are colourful explosions in the bleakest dark. Mark my words, In Rainbows is for the nighttime. Listen to it in a dark place pierced by streetlights and it is now a beautiful, ethereal experience.

I’m speaking hyperbolically, of course. But then I feel compelled to, because In Rainbows elicits such a powerful emotional response. So let’s get down to brass tax. This album is Radiohead’s best work. It’s their most gorgeous, most crafted; so wholly encapsulating that you could live inside it for and never get bored.

The production is rich and intimate. Flirtations with progressive song structures and nuanced themes keep you guessing. It ebbs and flows like a concerto, using strings just as skillfully. The melodies evoke fear of your own emotional capacity; the highs are like shots of heroin, and the lows are like the comedown. It cannot be compared, it cannot be replaced. It cannot be forgotten. In Rainbows encapsulates everything fantastic about music, and it sums up everything that makes Radiohead one of the greatest bands ever.

Interview with rising star Liv Dawson

Written by Hannah Brierley on 9th October 2017. Posted in Music.

They say that it’s the quiet ones that you should watch out for, and this is certainly true in some respects for the reserved 19-year old. Yet however, when singing, she should be anything but quiet.

Despite her young age, she sounds flawless beyond her years. Miss Dawson is also already associated with huge names in the music industry such as Marcus Mumford and Disclosure and with plenty of others desperately wanting to work with the singer — which has much to say about the talent she already possesses and the kind of future she has. I had a chat with Liv about her past and present, her phenomenal new release ‘Painkiller’ and about her upcoming tour.

I had a chat with Liv about her past and present, her phenomenal new release ‘Painkiller’ and about her upcoming tour.

Liv has been singing since she was about 7 years old and remembers that it was just something she always did. It wasn’t until she reached the age of 14 that she recognised that singing was something she wanted to actively pursue. So, she started obsessively writing, singing, and putting her music out there. The singer laughs about how a lot of her songs were written about being in love, despite the fact she probably wasn’t ever in love at that age. She also used to write about her friends and made up scenarios that she knew other people were going through.

I quizzed Liv about her new release ‘Painkiller’ which was released on the 11th of August (same day as my birthday!) and a brief background to the song. The soulful singer explains that she wrote it after a night out whilst she was hungover.

“I’d had an argument with my friend and I just wanted to get it off my chest by writing it down in a song.” She goes on to say that despite the song having dark undertones by working with HONNE “who are incredibly lovely, and are very talented at what they do” as they managed to make the song upbeat and happy, which was a nice contrast.

Liv Dawson is about to embark on a seven-day tour, starting on the 19th of October in The Chapel, Leeds. Moving on through to Manchester and then three dates in her hometown of London.

As the Interview comes to an end, we have a quick-fire round to uncover just a little more about who Liv Dawson really is underneath it all.

If you were to win the lottery after this interview, what is the first thing you would do?

I would buy a really nice huge house, and go on an amazing holiday in the Caribbean… for like a week. Then I’d probably buy loads of dogs. Yeah, I’d buy all the dogs.

What’s your favourite 90’s song?

Oooh, I’m not sure. Maybe ‘The Boy is Mine’ by Brandy? Is that 90’s? I think it is, but yeah, I love that one.

Tell me something that not many people know about you.

I was actually in the choir for Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat in London, when I was really young. I don’t think many people know that!

If you wrote an autobiography, what would you call it?

Erm, I’d have to think about some funny pun or something that worked with ‘Liv’ in the name? Maybe ‘Liv and Let Die’ –Laughs- yeah I really like that actually now.

Finally, why should people come down to your shows?

Because it’s going to be really fun and exciting and I actually have a little surprise organised for each of the shows, so everyone needs to come!

Manchester man caught up in Las Vegas horror shooting

Written by Mancunion on 9th October 2017. Posted in News.

A Manchester resident has described the ordeal of being caught in the middle of Monday’s mass shooting in Las Vegas.

37-year old Steve Dunville, who lives in Fallowfield, was attending a friend’s wedding at the Four Seasons hotel when disaster struck at the nearby Route 91 open-air music festival on Las Vegas Boulevard.

The attacker opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel, indiscriminately killing members of the public below.

A raid of the gunman’s hotel room has resulted in the discovery of further firearms, police confirmed.

Current figures state that 59 have been confirmed as dead, with well over 500 believed to have been injured.

Speaking to The Manchester Evening News, Dunville detailed how the wedding party were frantically rushed to safety as terror broke out just metres away.

Guests were rushed to the stairwell of the establishment and were forced to remain there for around three hours while the shooting was ongoing.

“We went down to a fire exit, opened the doors and could see people running and screaming on the strip. We were told to get back into the hotel and we’ve been here ever since.

“They told us to keep quiet and locked us in the stairwell as the police were sweeping the hotel.”

Mr Dunville confirmed via Whatsapp that guests had been barred from leaving their rooms for safety reasons.

Police announced at a press conference that the suspect, Paddock, was dead, affirming that he had turned the gun on himself as officers closed on him.

Officials are still largely unsure about the motives surrounding the attack.

With no evidence gathered from a sweep of his hotel room and house back in Mesquite, Nevada, Paddock’s brother described his brother as holding no political or religious affiliations that he “knew of”.

Paddock was known to Las Vegas police, but had only been listed for a routine traffic violation and had no history or association with violent crime.

Sheriff Joseph Lombardo of the Las Vegas police confirmed that Paddock had been in possession of a number of tools to aid his deadly mission, including a bump-stock to enable rapid fire from his semi-automatic weapon and a ‘hammer-like device’ used to smash his hotel windows.

Such items, coupled with the discovery of further weaponry at the 64-year old’s home, appears to suggest that the attack was premeditated and carefully planned.

Although the death toll is expected to rise, the present figure of 59 already makes the attack the deadliest shooting in American history and has reignited the fiercely-contested debate over gun regulation across the states.

Catalan referendum: illegal protest or reclaiming a homeland?

Written by Mia Gair on 9th October 2017. Posted in News, Opinion.

Sunday the 1st of October saw Catalans take to the polling stations to vote on whether they wanted to break from Spain and become an independent republic.

Considered illegal by the EU and denied completely by the opposing Spanish authorities, the referendum soon became violent. Using rubber bullets and force, Spanish police physically obstructed voters from the polling booths, reportedly harming 844 people and 33 officers. Following the attacks, 41 Spanish police raids saw several officials and demonstrators arrested for violating the constitution.

Despite the attempts of the Spanish state to obstruct the vote, the regional president, Carles Puigdemont and his government considered the 43 per cent turnout sufficient to declare the result legitimate. 90 per cent voted in favour of independence — according to the Catalonian officials — raising questions of whether independence should be seriously considered.

Whilst independence has been increasingly called for since 2010, the issues are far more historical than that. Catalonia was an independent self-governed region of the Iberian Peninsula in the past until King Philip V oversaw the unification of modern-day Spain between 1707 and 1715.

In 1931 a Catalan Government — the Generalitat — was formed, and since the re-democratisation of Spain in 1978, Catalan has had a degree of autonomy that is similar to that of Scotland in the British arrangement.

Speaking to Spanish students at the University of Manchester, it is clear that this dispute is part of the Spain in which they grew up. Iciar De La Fuente Galiano from Madrid told The Mancunion that “there’s always tension in Spain” and that recent conflicts were “just the next generation” of Catalan nationalists.

She explains that the education system embeds a culture of difference between regions, rather than the unity claimed by the President regarding the independence movement.

Maria Cotado Sánchez from Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, sees her home as more than just a rebellious region. She told The Mancunion that “it’s likely” that independence will happen in the future, despite not personally seeing independence as an appealing option.

Although Maria thinks most Catalans are like her in considering themselves both Catalan and Spanish, many — as she does — consider themselves “more Catalan than Spanish.”

Along with the cultural and social differences, Catalan independentists also call upon economic reasons for justifying the break. In the midsts of the challenged Spanish economy, Catalonians claim to walk tall with their wealthy cities, carrying the rest of the country along with it. It makes up 19 per cent of Spain’s GDP and 16 per cent of its population.

However, they are seen by those in other regions to be one of the main beneficiaries of state handouts by citizens such as Iciar – with Spanish media outputs claiming they ‘owe’ the government over €52 million it is clear that independence would have an economic consequence on both parties.

Review: W. H. Lung supermarket and Tai Pan restaurant

Written by Joe Taylor on 9th October 2017. Posted in Food & Drink.

Students tend to be creatures of habit, often trudging well-walked paths for sake of ease and convenience. I will be the first to admit that I live by an ‘if it ain’t broke’ attitude, and thus, as the structure of university life takes hold, I find myself gradually consumed by certain day-to-day regimes. Last year I religiously locked my bike in the same space, ate cheese and pickle sandwiches every lunch in the cafeteria, and found myself almost always in the same seat, on the same floor in the library.
Mahatma Gandhi once said that “your actions become your habits, your habits become your values, your values become your destiny”, and so, perturbed by the prospect of my destiny being inadvertently influenced by my Ploughman’s lunch, I sought to break the groove that I had found myself stuck in. Identifying the source of my convention as the place in which I shopped, namely Sainsbury’s, I set off with a companion for support, in the direction of W. H. Lung, a supermarket I had heard of from an up-and-coming Manchester krautrock band who share the same name — I wonder which came first… (deep cynicism).
Working on a wholesale and small-scale basis, the supermarket is split into two sections, one fairly normal-sized supermarket joined onto the side of a large warehouse containing giant versions of things you didn’t think had giant versions — imagine that. Inside the normal-sized section, with its more manageable normal-sized goods, were three long rows containing pan-Asian condiments, vegetables, tins, drinks and snacks, almost all of which I had never seen before, let alone heard of. Granted, I have never been to China or Japan, regions from which most of the shelves were filled, and so should not be so arrogant to assume that I may have felt grounded to a certain degree. Nonetheless, I was amazed at the selection of ingredients and frozen foods that were on sale, and in passing by ‘Chicken Paws’, ‘Chopped Pig Feet’ and ‘Queso Queso’ cheese ice-cream, I felt all remnants of my previous lunchtime regime dissolve, leaving only — as W. H. Lung themselves might say — inspiration!

‘Queso Queso’ ice-cream

Having perused for a while, and resolved to be more imaginative with lunch, my companion and I headed upstairs to Tai Pan, the Chinese restaurant above, to appease our strangely grumbling stomachs. One look at the menu established that the restaurant and supermarket both offered traditional Chinese ingredients and dishes. Dry-braised pig intestines, spicy hot poached mutton, lobster with cheese sauce, stir-fried prawn balls, steamed tripe… they really had it all, and it would be fair to say I was unsure how much of it my weak Western stomach could handle.
We started with deep-fried crispy seaweed sprinkled with sugar, giving it the typical “sweet and sour” taste that is so commonly associated with Cantonese cooking. It provided an interesting texture and tested our chopstick dexterity, newly learnt by my companion from the back of our chopstick packets. The vegetable spring rolls were tasty, although most things deep fried with a sweet, gloopy dipping sauce are tasty. Slightly encouraged by the curious, we ordered some ‘vegetarian squid’ skewers, which comprised of button mushrooms, tofu and aubergine, dressed in a tepid satay sauce. The ‘squid’ aspect was abstract at best, and they were bland in flavour. My “carnist” companion had some cuttlefish cakes which had also been deep-fried, and came with a wonderfully sweet and spicy vinaigrette containing pickled chillies — once again, deep fried with a flavoursome dip; can’t really go wrong. Our mains were fairly nondescript: aubergine in a Szechwan sauce, and garlic prawns with fried onions and egg fried rice. The dishes had flavour, but as they were the only mains we ordered, our meals quickly became monotonous in taste.

A pretty how-to

Looking around the room, we began to realise that we were the only table of two, and one of the only rectangular tables in the restaurant, with most of the tables taken up by four or more people sitting in a circle, all sharing plates from the middle of the table. At 7:30 pm, the rather large function room space felt like a celebration in an Ang Lee movie, with huge quantities of food being shared by large families and groups of friends. There were big soup bowls, trays of ‘chicken paws’ and heads, and lots of photographs being taken. It would be hard for me to criticise the restaurant’s food, as it took me one meal there to realise I should have gone with lots of people, ordered lots of things, and thus, had lots of variation. This, in turn, would have likely made the experience cheaper too, for ordering starters, mains and sides for two quickly became expensive.

I’m not sure I’d want to make a habit of going there — who needs habits, eh? — for want of avoiding an aneurysm, but I shall definitely be returning to the restaurant and supermarket, this time with a shopping list for lunch, and a group of friends for dinner.

Thousands attend People’s Assembly march in Manchester

Written by Mancunion on 9th October 2017. Posted in News, Opinion.

On Sunday the 1st of October, an estimated 30,000 people marched a mile from Castlefield to Piccadilly Gardens to demonstrate against the current Conservative government.

The march took place on the first day of the Conservative Party conference and was the midpoint of five days of protests and events organised by the People’s Assembly.

The marchers were advocating for an end to austerity and the Conservative government.

Halfway through their one-mile journey, protesters were joined by thousands marching as part of the Stop-Brexit march which took part on the same day. The two protests ended in a round of closing speeches from trade union activists and local politicians.

“They’re saddling our children with debt, at the same time they jack up tuition fees” Will Paterson, the Green Party’s 2016 Manchester mayoral candidate, said to the crowd at Castlefield in the opening address of the demonstration.

Mr Paterson’s speech was met with applause as he channelled the concerns of the assembled masses, with chants of “Tories out” providing a constant backdrop to the message espoused by the local Green party member.

Before his speech, Mr Paterson explained to The Mancunion that the demonstration “isn’t just about Tory austerity today, it goes all the way back to the right to buy in the 80’s taking away our right to social housing.”

Photo: Jacob Rawling

Marchers appeared to echo this sentiment. Local resident Richard Bolam calmly proclaimed that today’s march was about “30 years of misrule”, going on to say that he was “very angry” at the state of the country. Mr Bolam said The People’s Assembly united him with like-minded people and organisations.

Over 70 busses brought people to Manchester from across the country. Not officially affiliated with any political party, the People’s Assembly gathered supporters from multiple parties, as well as trade unions and student societies.

The Manchester Labour Society was one such society. They could be seen waving banners and holding placards during the one-mile march. Medical student Emma Runswick, who was there protesting the Conservatives’ management of the NHS, stated: “There is absolutely nothing that’s good about this government, absolutely nothing.” Ms Runswick’s concerns were carried above the heads of the hundreds of protesters who wielded “NHS not Trident” signs.

While the atmosphere of the march was generally one of unity and good intentions, this was not reflected in everyone.

“When I arrived they were shouting at anyone wearing anything like a suit or smart casual clothes who were in the area,” a Conservative-supporting student from the University of Manchester, Ed Bird, stated.

Mr Bird went on to say “I don’t think such protests, and the people attending, are using their time and effort in the most productive manner.” The hostility was kept to chants, however, and the strong police presence was left peacefully watching the protesters march past.

In the closing speeches, Kevin Nelson, Unison’s regional secretary for the North West, declared: “We need to fight back!”

Sunday’s protesters agree with Mr Nelson, but not all of Manchester does.

It is arguably a testament to the city of Manchester, and its citizens, that so many people chose to demonstrate their views in a peaceful and powerful way.

Lukaku: The real deal or a poor man’s Benteke?

Written by James Gill on 9th October 2017. Posted in Sport.

As far as transfers go, that of striker Romelu Lukaku was the highlight of the summer. Short and sweet though it may have been for Manchester United, it left a sour taste in the mouths of their rivals.

The red devils needed a striker, that was clear. With Swedish target man Zlatan Ibrahimovic seemingly ruled out forever, Marcus Rashford shifting to a wider role and Wayne Rooney dumped unceremoniously back at Everton, the spot lay open to potential suitors.

Jose Mourinho initially targeted Real Madrid’s Alvaro Morata to step into Zlatan’s boots. However after they held out on their ridiculous valuation, Mourinho swooped down and snatched Lukaku from the jaws of Chelsea. The blues were looking to re-sign him to replace their striker, Diego Costa, who was trying to force a move to Atlético Madrid.

This last moment switch may leave fans questioning United’s transfer policy as the pair are polar opposites in terms of play style. Lukaku is undoubtedly a Mourinho style player and was the preferred choice out of the pair.

He’s tall and can dominate the air, use his strength to hold up play and while he often chooses not to, he is very quick when he runs. Add that to a scoring record of 25 goals last season at Everton at the age of just 24 and you have the makings of a world-class striker.

The next question on the lips of fans is “would he make an impact immediately?” In the age where a manager can get sacked after only four games, players too need to hit the ground sprinting otherwise they’ll get labelled a flop and shipped elsewhere.

Theoretically, you would imagine him impressing, as the attacking pace United possess would work in his favour. The better quality overall would lead to more goal scoring opportunities and thus, more goals. As Jose Mourinho mentioned in an interview with The Times, United were clever to get their transfers done early. “I think Lukaku on August 31 would have been £150 million. Neymar changed everything.”

His first test came on August 8th, against Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup. Chances were limited against Los Blancos but that didn’t stop him tapping in a ball by Rashford in a 2-1 loss. It wasn’t enough to stop critics critiquing though and many were still sceptical about whether he was a good addition to the side.

And so came his Premier League debut, rival fans across the league were rubbing their mitts together hoping, praying for him not to score, so they could blast both club and player. After Chelsea’s loss to Burnley, blues supporters especially needed a release of Dopamine to help them stop the river of tears and get out of the fetal position.

Sadly, or happily, their weekend went from worse to catastrophic as he netted twice in a 4-0 win, becoming only the fourth United player to do so on their league debut.

“It’s a fluke,” they said. “He’s just a poor man’s Benteke,” they said. But he scored again in his second league game at Swansea, then Stoke too. Five goals in his first five appearances.

Skeptics had just one line of defence left — the UEFA Champions League. Fail to perform on this, the biggest club stage in the world, and you can never be considered world class. Light up that stage, however, and have your name etched into history.

On the 12th of September, FC Basel came to the Theatre of Dreams. United undefeated in the league so far, only dropping points in a draw at Stoke, looked eager to throw down the gauntlet for the other English teams. It took 53 minutes for Lukaku to score, a goal which highlighted his immense physicality.

Not just that, but he proved he can create chances as well as scoring them. The game ended 3-0 with Lukaku as the Man of the Match.

Four games and five goals later no one can deny his incredible start to the season. The 4-0 victory against Palace this weekend means that he has scored his seventh goal in his first seven Premier League games, equalling the club record set by Andy Cole.

Having already become the all-time top Premier League scorer for Everton with 68, he will be looking to break records at United too. Wayne Rooney’s record of 253 for the club may be a little way off so, for now, he might set his sights on the single league campaign goalscoring record, currently held by Ronaldo with 31.

If he continues at the same rate he’ll score 38 in total. It may be a little early to draw conclusions from this but Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or that season and after running some complex simulations with this data I have calculated that Lukaku>Ronaldo. In all seriousness though there may be a slight glimmer of truth there. Looking at the data for club goals before the age of 23 we see that Lukaku has 119 and Ronaldo has just 97.

Unlike other teams like the one Pep Guardiola recently dubbed “the Harry Kane team”, United’s dominance is due to fantastic performances throughout the team. Lukaku is but one piece of the puzzle. No one player stands head and shoulders above the others and the competition for places is fierce.

For the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson left at the end of the 2012-13 season, United look like serious title contenders both domestically and in Europe. Their next test comes after the international break at Liverpool.

Review: Kyotoya

Written by Anokhi Shah on 9th October 2017. Posted in News.

Walking down the back streets of Withington, I was hesitant about what this restaurant would have to offer. Upon stepping into the concealed restaurant I was immediately transported from the grey Manchester evening into a vibrant and beautifully decorated restaurant. Covered in dainty lanterns, fairy lights and rich aromas I was immersed in the magic of Japan.

Photo: Anokhi Shah

Service was pretty slow. We probably waited around 20 minutes to order so perhaps if you’re short on time order a takeaway. The alcohol is very reasonably priced with an array of Japanese beers, but the selection of wine was more limited. We tried to order a bottle of white wine for nine pounds but unfortunately, they had run out.

The menu is extremely extensive. For a starter, we opted for a plate of mixed sushi priced at £8. The open plan kitchen allowed us to watch the chefs in action freshly preparing the sushi, which was super impressive and entertaining.

The sushi was extremely well presented on a wooden board with pickled ginger and wasabi and a flower to garnish. The mixed plate of sushi contained California rolls, salmon nigiri, octopus sushi and an egg sushi which I would not recommend. Perhaps the mixed plate of sushi was slightly too adventurous for us; the octopus sushi tasted like a rubber glove and left a lot to be desired.

Photo: Anokhi Shah

For mains, after a lot of deliberation, I opted for a chicken ramen priced at six pounds, which completely cured my cold. The chicken ramen came in a huge bowl, full to the brim with lots of green vegetables, noodles, and chicken bathing in a delicious sweet broth. I am embarrassed to say I could not conquer the ramen! My friend has the chicken katsu curry and she was in heaven. She had been to Wagamamas the night before and paid a massive £12 for a katsu curry nowhere near as fresh and authentic.

I am embarrassed to say I could not conquer the ramen! My friend had the chicken katsu curry and she was in heaven. She had been to Wagamamas the night before and paid a massive twelve pounds for a katsu curry nowhere near as fresh and authentic.

Photo: Anokhi Shah

Kyotoya is the perfect spot for those on a student budget. Great value for money, delicious food and a magical atmosphere. It is definitely worth discovering and supporting such a yummy local restaurant.

xG and You: The newest stat sweeping football

Written by James Gill on 9th October 2017. Posted in Sport.

For the past couple of seasons Premier League clubs have been using a new statistic called xG, or expected goals, to work out how many non-penalty goals they should have scored in any given game, determined by the number and quality of their chances.

This season it has worked its way into the media, and you may have noticed it whilst watching Match of the Day.

But what exactly is xG?

xG is the latest goal metric coming out of sports data company Opta and is a way to determine the quality of a chance. They have analysed over 300,000 goals to calculate the probability of a shot going in from all areas of the pitch, and in different phases of play too.

It takes into account various factors, including which foot the shot is with for specific players, the proximity of defenders, assist type etc. The result is the Expected Goals Value, which is a number between zero and one which can tell you the percentage chance of that shot going in.

For example, imagine Lukaku’s second goal against CSKA Moscow on Wednesday. Martial crosses the ball in, and a mistake by the defender means Lukaku is two yards out with nothing but net in front of him. The xG for that shot would be very high, something in the region of 0.90-0.95, meaning that 90-95% of the time the shot would be converted.

It is surprising to see that some chances that would be deemed as must-score opportunities have a much lower xG than you would think. For example, compare that goal to De Bruyne’s against Shakhtar on Tuesday.

The incoming defender means that his angle of the goal is very narrow, limited to the far right-hand side. Couple this with the shot being taken from outside the box and this shot would have an xG of approximately 0.10, meaning that the shot would only result in a goal in one of every 10 chances in that situation.

So what can this tell us?

The xG for a team can be added up over the course of the game and can be a signal of how many goals should have been scored given their chances. In the Chelsea v. Burnley game at the start of the season, the result was a 3-2 win for Burnley.

If we take a look at the xG for both teams we’ll see that Chelsea scored roughly what you would have expected with a 1.53 xG. Burnley, on the other hand, had an xG of 0.64 but scored three. This tells us that Burnley scored opportunities that were deemed unlikely.

We can also use xG to determine the performance of an attacking player over the course of a season. In the 2015/16 season Sergio Aguero had an xG of 14.80 but actually scored 20 goals.

This information indicates that Aguero scored 5 goals that would not typically be expected of the average player. What the everyday fan can take away from this is that he is an exceptional finisher, converting more difficult chances than someone like Benteke.

What use does xG have?

The common football fan can use the xG of an overall match to determine who had the better run of play, or how interesting a game was.

If a game in a foreign league had a high xG rating for both teams, then it was certainly an entertaining match with lots of action for both sides. If it had a low rating for both sides e.g. United all last season, then you know the games were like watching paint dry.

No longer will Lineker and Shearer be arguing over whether Crystal Palace keep wasting clear goal-scoring opportunities, they can just look at the xG and see for themselves. Their xG for the season so far is 6.92, meaning that they ‘should’ have scored 7 goals.

Therefore, the problems they are having are more psychological at this stage, meaning goals will hopefully start coming soon.

Crystal Palace are a great example of xG perhaps not being the be all and end all in football stats. In reality, there is a difference between probability and actuality, so this should be taken with a pinch of salt.

It does, however, give a fresh angle on each game and allows fans more insight into their favourite team’s performance.

Role Referendum: Exec-ly who should represent students?

Written by Kirstie O'Mahony on 9th October 2017. Posted in News.

A shock motion passed at the first Senate session of the academic year which may potentially lead to the loss or combination of some executive officer roles at the University of Manchester’s Students’ Union.

General Secretary Alex Tayler proposed the motion, and described it as “a really exciting opportunity to engage with students… to find out what they want from us and how we can better engage with them” when speaking to The Mancunion. The motion was passed with 83 per cent in favour.

The question was raised before voting as to whether or not the result would be binding. In response, Alex said that it would be more of a “preferendum”, but also told The Mancunion after the session had closed that if less than 3,000 students participate in the vote, the result will be void.

There hasn’t been a review of the roles of the Union’s executive officers in six years, although in 2013 one general secretary candidate, Colin Cortbus, campaigned on the issue of reducing the team by half to just four members. Alex Tayler said himself that eight sabbatical officers “is a big number” and that he definitely wouldn’t want to see the numbers increased.

In fact, all of the four proposed options will have eight roles but there will be some new ones, such as a postgraduate officer and an international officer, and there will also be an option for things to remain as they are.

A senate member told The Mancunion that the exec team have had some disagreements with the proposed method of the referendum; at least one member of the team thinks four options will be too confusing. This may lead to a lack of participation, and the threshold of 3,000 not being met.

The Senate as an institution has also been criticised in the past for producing policy that is not representative of the student body at large, and in some ways being undemocratic.

In 2015, Mancunion reporter Joe Evans found that the lack of publicity of the Senate in general, and misunderstanding of the Union’s constitution, adds to the confusion when passing judgement on policy proposals. This, he believed, reduced the authority of Senate.

The Mancunion also conducted an anonymous survey to ask people whether or not they knew what Senate was.

Whilst some respondents certainly did, and explained it very concisely such as “A democratic meeting where policy that shapes the Students’ Union’s actions and beliefs is debated and voted on”, many people expressed concern that “it keeps a low profile”, with one person saying that the idea that the body decides “what the students’ union should believe”, “sounds weird.”

One person also said that it’s “not very open or public.”

Review: Missing (1982)

Written by James Gill on 9th October 2017. Posted in Film.

Costa-Gavra’s 1982 Palme d’or winning political thriller Missing had a recent reshowing at HOME Manchester. Those who attended were fortunate to watch an original 35mm print of the film. The colour was a touch worn but that did little to affect a criticism of the United States government so damning it was banned from being released until 2006.

The director makes the brave decision to drop us, the viewer, into the heart of what appears to be a war zone without any explanation. Scraps of information informs us that a military coup has taken place in this unknown South American country, and that our lead couple, Beth and Charles (played by John Shea and Sissy Spacek) are caught in the middle of it, having travelled there to live and write. The pair’s situation is a precarious one. As gunshots ring all around and bodies litter the streets, their American nationality is the only thing that keeps them safe. That is, until the husband gets arrested.

At this point his father Ed (played by Jack Lemmon) enters the fray after becoming frustrated with his apparent lack of action by the government in New York. Lemmon’s character embodies the viewer’s confusion and lack of understanding, both in the microcosm of Charles’ disappearance and the macrocosm of the wider turmoil enveloping the country. He is driven by the belief of his son’s safety and of justice coming to those culpable. It is therefore with great contempt that he should be forced to spend time with his daughter-in-law Beth.

Ed arrives with this rigid political conviction of America and of the American dream. That his son and those who he associates himself with (including Beth) are left-wing radicals, who live off the fat of the land with their anti-establishment beliefs that are an illness to his great country. Slowly, as the details surrounding his son’s disappearance become clearer and the US involvement in the coup confirmed, he faces the prospect of America, his America, being a country of murder in the name of self-preservation.

Jack Lemmon perfectly captures the internal strife of Ed as his world comes tumbling down; his son presumed dead and aware now that all he held true is false. He, a religious scientist, who holds truth to be at the heart of faith. Missing truly excels in the scenes where Ed and Beth investigate the disappearance and try to work out what really happened. You can visibly see Ed transitioning through the five stages of grief for both his country and his son, the two things he loved most. They begin as polar opposites but by the end of the film see eye to eye. All the views of hers he despised on America became his too, such as a condemnatory questioning of the system and disbelief of the men in suits who stand there so brazen and lie through gritted teeth. Ignorance is bliss and his world has been covered in a shroud of darkness.

The most poignant moment comes when Ed confronts the US Ambassador and Army Captain with news of his son’s execution. The Ambassador admits their involvement in the coup saying how he is ‘concerned with the preservation of a way of life. And a damn good one too’. Those words used to justify the death of his son along with thousands more are the same words he uttered to Beth just days before, angered by her lack of patriotism.

Costa-Gavra certainly holds a very strong view on the events that took place in Chile, 1973. So I found it disingenuous that he never states the name of the country all the while mentioning cities such as Santiago. To go to such great lengths to creates this urgent and necessary expose but hold back one of the most pivotal details seems baffling, and it detracts from the overall splash the film makes. The decision to also set the film before the disappearance rather than opening with Ed’s arrival seems strange, as the intent is blatantly to spark outrage and the first act does little to build momentum or anger.

In the climax, we are told that Charles’ body was returned after many months, rather than the matter of days the US Ambassador promised. Years later, with advancements in DNA technology, it was determined that the body shipped back to the United States was not that of Charles Horman. The US State Department denies any involvement in the murder.

“It feels like we’re moving in the right direction”

Written by Sam Cooper on 9th October 2017. Posted in Sport.

The game of futsal may not be one that is familiar to the majority of sports fans in this country but it is certainly one that has seen its popularity rise in recent years. Simon Wright, chairman of Manchester Futsal Club, describes his introduction to the sport.

“When I first got involved in futsal, I played a decent level of 11-a-side, came and studied in Manchester. Knew I wasn’t going to make it in a professional league. It was when I graduated, I was thinking what next?

“Started to play locally 11-a-side in Manchester as a reintroduction of getting back into football and it not really ticking the box of what it used to. I was looking for something else.

“I had a part-time job working down in West Didsbury in a local pizza place and a young lad started working there. We chatted about football things, he was Russian, we started playing football together but then he introduced futsal to me saying “when I was a kid, we played futsal.”

“I’d never heard of it before and he introduced me to how it was done in Russia, what clubs were involved. We were like ‘what would it take here? What exists in Manchester?’ At the time, there wasn’t much on the ground, about six months later, the FA started saying there was going to be first of all a local Manchester FA league so we found out about that. We were like ‘let’s try it.’”

“The league was up in Salford, it was outside on an astroturf pitch. It wasn’t really futsal but we persevered with that thinking ‘we’re doing it now’. It was us learning what the sport was about on a very basic level.”

The rules of futsal are like football but with slight variations. Each team has 14 players with five players on the court at any one time, a goalkeeper and four outfield players. The court itself is 40 metres by 20 metres and the goals are three metres wide and two meters high with a six-metre goal area arch around them.

The objective is the same as football — you kick the ball into the net to score a goal — but the games are shorter at two 20-minute halves. Unlike football, the clock stops in futsal when there is a stoppage in play so when the timer hits 40 minutes, the game is over with no added injury time.

Wright, who was studying for his coaching badges as well as working for the Liverpool FA at the time, found out the FA were planning to launch a national league and decided to get involved.

“A really basic beginning. Finding out what the sport was, how can we play and things just started to connect up.”

“One of the biggest challenges was the community was very small and it was reliant on football. It was hidden a little in small sided football, it wasn’t standing on its own two feet.”

The game requires a higher level of technical ability due to the ball difference. In futsal, it is a smaller size four ball that is heavier which makes it stick to the ground more. Punting the ball upfield is not really an option in this game. Instead, players are encouraged to use passing and dribbling to make their way up the pitch.

“If you were to research Ronaldo, Messi, there’s a plethora of quotes out there saying how important futsal was to make them the players they are today. That’s something we can look to.”

“A lot of people are saying why not? Why shouldn’t we be looking at how the Spanish have introduced futsal and given them this enormous base of technically proficient footballers? It’s about showing that insight that futsal has something to offer football.

“You have the purists that say ‘why do we need football? It should be a sport in its own right’ but I don’t think we can push it away at this moment in time. In England particularly, we co-exist. The culture of football is so strong.”

The game is faster paced than football, with a smaller playing area increasing the tempo dramatically.

“You’re going to see more attacking instances, you’re going to see more counterattacking. You’re never going to see a 0-0 draw, you’re never going to see teams that park the bus or throw the towel in. You can’t. It’s a game which demands you’re in it all the time. There’s so many different battles going on both tactically and on a one-to-one level.”

Manchester Futsal Club has increased its youth efforts recently and runs six sessions throughout the week for 7-16-year-olds at Bellevue Sports Village. The sessions are run by players of the club in an effort to give their teaching credibility.

“Maybe five or six years ago, there weren’t kids playing futsal. We started just to get the coaching going. We worked in different areas of Manchester just to provide our coaches, just to get kids sampling. For us, that was important because we wanted to see their reactions, we wanted to see the parents’ reaction.”

“We set up development centres around Greater Manchester because we had to find out which kids would be attracted to it.”

“We weren’t silly enough to think we’d replace football. We were always going to be the second option but how do we make it an important option? All we can do is focus on our presence in the city. Make sure we’re across every different area and if people come into our house, we can show them what we do. Our sport is futsal. “

The attention on futsal is rising and the FA recently announced a “For Futsal Fund” aimed at developing the sport of futsal in England. “I think the fund is good because it’s raised attention again. Everyone’s come back into grassroots football and they’ll be thinking “what am I going to do during winter time?” That fund is great because it’s going provide futsal balls and goals into facilities. If it allows more kids to be playing futsal over winter time then great.”

Wright recognised the progress the sport has made but was keen to continue on the upward trajectory.

“Futsal’s got a place at the table but it needs a few more people beside it to give it a say in what’s going on. It feels like we’re moving in the right direction.”

Manchester Futsal Club play at the National Cycling Centre and their next home fixture is on the 7th of October. Visit https://www.manchesterfutsal.com for more details.

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