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Month: October 2017

Role Referendum: Exec-ly who should represent students?

Written by Kirstie O'Mahony on . 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 . 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 . 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.

Preview: Manchester Literature Festival 2017

Written by Ayesha Hussain on . Posted in Books.

From the 6th of October, Manchester will once again be welcoming a selection of internationally acclaimed writers to its annual Manchester Literature Festival.

Previously, the Manchester Literature Festival was host to its own legendary Johnny Marr, author of White Teeth Zadie Smith, fashion designer, activist, and author of Get A Life: The Diaries of Vivienne Westwood, Dame Vivienne Westwood, and Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen, along with many other famous visitors.

Although the festival has had eight years of brilliant lineups, with this year’s diverse range of writers, it will certainly not fail to impress again!

Comedian Sarah Millican opens the festival with an invitation to a discussion of her debut book How to Be a Champion. The event held on the 6th of October at Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), is hosted by poet and comedian Kate Fox and promises to be a laughter-filled, uplifting evening with her colourful anecdotal stories.

Fellow comedian Alan Carr says of the book: ‘Just like her stand-up: nothing is off limits, honest, candid, but most of all laugh-out-loud funny’.

In contrast, seasoned writer Nadeem Aslam, who has often been the focus of many literature students’ study of the South Asian diaspora, will be also be visiting Manchester this year in light of the release of his new novel The Golden Legend.

Author of the heart-wrenchingly beautiful book Maps for Lost Lovers which won the Kiriyama Prize and the Encore Award will join Elif Shafak on Sunday 15th October at 2 pm at the Central Library.

Turkish novelist Shafak, whose work has been translated into over forty languages, will discuss her latest novel Three Daughters of Eve which The Guardian has rendered ‘a rich journey into romance and religion’.

The following day, world-famous television broadcaster and historian Simon Schama will be in conversation with Erica Wagner discussing the second volume of his series about Jewish history The Story of the Jews, Volume Two: Belonging: 1492-1900 at RNCM.

This continues his important exploration into the displacement and identity politics of the Jewish people. Another television personality, arguably less literarily inclined to write rich and historically relevant texts like Schama, Nigella Lawson is in conversation with Jeanette Winterson on 20th October at RNCM to discuss her forthcoming book At My Table for all you foodies!

Also in conversation with Jeanette Winterson, on Tuesday 17th October at the Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama, is renowned author Kamila Shamsie – a welcome new addition to our University’s Center for New Writing team, who has written over six critically acclaimed novels including Burnt Shadows (2009), Broken Verses (2005) and Kartography (2002).

Shamsie’s latest novel Home Fire (2017), which has been longlisted for the Man Booker Prize this year, is available to buy now. Said to be a contemporary reimagining of Sophocles’ Antigone, it explores issues surrounding Jihad, identity, and sacrifice, and this novel is undeniably yet another example of Shamsie’s unrivalled, luminous prose.

The festival ends on 5th December @ Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama with contributions from Scottish writers, Jackie Kay and Ali Smith. Celebrated author Ali Smith, whose novel Autumn has been shortlisted for the 2017 Man Booker Prize, introduces her forthcoming novel Winter (2017) which is the second part of her Seasonal Quartet. Jackie, current Scottish poet laureate and Chancellor of the University of Salford,  will share extracts from her poetry collection Bantam.

In addition to visits by prolific writers, there are several spoken word events showcasing work from people of many different backgrounds. One such event is Poets of the New Generation on 22nd October at Gorilla, showcases the work of four poets from BAME backgrounds.

Similarly, The Things I Would Tell You on the 15th of October presents the work of 22 British Muslim Women writers who challenge warped ideas and stereotypes surrounding what it is to be a ‘Muslim woman’. Also, The Writing Squad – 6 Minute Reads on the 17th of October at the previously mentioned venue is a show involving children from Manchester’s Schools presenting their 6-minute creative pieces. This lighthearted event is also part of the Read Manchester campaign.

Visit www.manchesterliteraturefestival.com for more information and to book tickets.

Take a break the right way

Written by James Johnson on . Posted in Lifestyle.

We’ve all been there — trying to claw your way through another days study, craving the seasons ‘must have’ coffee, and equally, wanting to head home and take a nap. So, why not combine the two?

One thing you’re likely to become accustomed to at University is the ability to take a nap, whatever time of day and for whatever period of time. Often you’ll wake up and you’ve missed three birthdays, the leaves have changed colour and you don’t know what time of day it is.

Taking a nap in amongst your busy schedule is a surefire way to keep your energy up and ensure you get the most out of your day; especially when you’re juggling your studies, a job, and whatever other commitments you may have.

What you may not know is that introducing coffee into your daily nap may help to leave you feeling more refreshed when you wake up and try to tackle the rest of your day. A nap powered by science; what could be more justifiable?

Many of us might claim that the first sip of coffee on a bleak Monday morning instantly makes us feel more awake, but caffeine takes at least twenty minutes to have any considerable effect on the body. Therefore, taking your coffee before a fifteen to twenty-minute nap might just jolt you into getting that assignment written a bit more effectively.

 

Photo: James Johnson

The seemingly contradictory phenomenon was initially studied by scientists at Loughborough University, finding that participants who had partaken in a caffeine-fuelled nap proved more effective whilst in a driving simulation test.

Proven to be more effective than simply drinking a cup of coffee or taking a nap alone, coffee napping, although it may sound like a major contradiction,  might just be the recharge you need during those deadline-filled weeks or exam periods!

Some students find counselling service to be inadequate

Written by Rosa Simonet on . Posted in News.

With universities being called to do more for student’s mental health, The Mancunion ran a survey investigating the University of Manchester’s counselling service. The survey reached 45 people, with 37 saying they used the service.

When asked if they found the counselling service useful, one student said:  “No. One woman called me ‘a perfect case study’ which was entirely dehumanising. I never went back.” The comments throughout the report show some students have felt “judged”, “pressured”, and “intimidated” by their counsellors.

Some felt forced to retell traumatic incidents and details of abuse, even when they expressed that they weren’t comfortable with sharing such information. Many of these students have gone on to receive private therapy or care elsewhere.

Another student gave a detailed list of her counsellor’s unprofessionalism.

“She told me that when she counselled me it felt like she had the Sword of Damocles dangling over her head, ready to crash down at any moment if she did the wrong thing, she told me in sessions that it felt like I was slapping her down and it was hurtful to her to sit there and listen to it, usually in response to my habit of using dark humour to avoid topics I was uncomfortable with talking about directly.”

“Overall, [the counselling service] was more harmful than helpful.”

University counselling services have been under strain due to the dramatic increase in demand. According to a report by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), “Freedom of Information (FOI) requests by The Times published in 2016 show a rise of 68 per cent in counselling service users at Russell Group universities since 2011.”

However “none of the major mental health strategy/policy aims published by government organisations — ranging from the 2000 NHS plan to the 2016 Five Year Forward View for Mental Health — give any special focus to students in higher education, despite it being such a vulnerable period.”

Many have criticised university action nationwide, and claim university Presidents and Vice-chancellors may even earn more than put into university mental health support.

The services at Manchester were criticised earlier this year, following the suicide of Philip Langdon, 22. Philip, who had a history of mental health issues, had sought help from the university before taking his own life. Both friends and family reported to The Manchester Evening News, saying the “services available were very confusing.”

The university offers a range of support, encouraging students to begin with other resources before seeking counselling. Information on workshops, groups, online, self-help materials and suggested reading are all available on the university counselling website.

However, Ms Orpe-Hudson, who shared a flat on the university campus with Philip, reported to the Manchester Evening News, saying “It sounds complicated to me and I have been there for a year.

“If someone is having problems they should not have to reach out to all these different services. Only after this happened were they highlighted to me, and I still had to go and find them myself.”

One student who reported back to our survey said they didn’t find the workshops useful. She said, “It might have been useful to someone who wasn’t really familiar with [cognitive behavioural therapy] CBT as a concept, but because I know a little bit about it I found the introductory workshop pretty pointless.”

Some students also reported cultural incompetence within the counselling service. These ranged from comments on “headscarves,” to counsellors being unable to help students with ‘“issues based around racism.”

Saqib Mahmood, Wellbeing Officer for the Student’s Union, said as well as “looking at increasing the availability of Counselling Service appointments,” he wanted to ensure these services were “accessible to people from minority groups such as BME, LGBTQ+, and Faith groups”

As stated on the Rethink Mental Illness website, students and young people rely on counselling to simply talk to someone “away from family and friends and who is trained in listening and supporting young people.”

“Many young people have said that feeling listened to and taken seriously by a counsellor helped them to feel more positive and in control of their lives.”

With mounting pressures on new university students, young people are more vulnerable than ever. However, the results from our brief survey imply the needs of many students at the University of Manchester are not being met.

When presented with the report the university replied stating, “university counselling services are available to any student and are run by trained staff working to the highest professional standards.  We would encourage any student who has a complaint about the University Counselling Service to contact us directly and we will listen and act on any issues as appropriate.”

Saqib Mahmood also responded to the survey results. He said, “according to the survey, the counselling services are failing in reaching out to students in their services.”

“These services should be provided to any student in the University of Manchester who feels like they need support, and they should be able to supply that support to a high standard. Obviously, something needs to be done to improve the experience that students receive through the Counselling Service, and this is something that the Student’s Union will make a priority this coming year.”

Ben Stokes Understands, Allegedly

Written by Arthur Salisbury on . Posted in Sport.

Footage has emerged of a man absolutely giving it to two other men outside a nightclub in Bristol at half two on Monday morning. The green-shirted man in the video appears to be threatened with a bottle, but rather than backing down he squares up to his opponents, one against two, and has them. The first goes down like BHS and the second is the victim of a vicious swinging delivery. Ben Stokes was arrested in connection with this video, and I for one hope he did it.

If we’re going to beat the Aussies in their own backyard we need fighters. Not just backs-to-the-wall fifth-day rearguard fighting but actual literal fighters. People who use their fists and their feet because this is Australia baby and it’s a language they understand.

On the first morning of the first test in the 2002-03 Ashes series, the great Simon Jones suffered a severe anterior cruciate ligament injury while on the field. As he lay on a stretcher at the side of the Gabba, an Australian came over and told him to ‘Get up you weak Pommie bastard’.

Of course, he got sweet revenge two-and-a-half years later when his mastery of reverse swing would win England the Ashes after an 18-year drought. But wouldn’t it have been even better if he’d also glassed Matthew Hayden?

Cricket is warfare by other means, but do they have to be so other? The threat to your personal safety is integral to the game. Marshall, Garner, Holding, Croft – they would not be so effective were the ball made from sponge.

All cricket supporters are hypocrites and weasels. What if the man in the green shirt was Grievous Bodily Harmison, and the man with the bottle was Ricky Ponting? And what if instead of thumping him, greenshirt had instead hurled a hard object towards his face at 90mph, drawing blood? Far from being called into a disciplinary meeting, he’d be treated as a hero and quite right too.

We travel to Australia this winter with some unresolved issues. Most obviously, regarding the top order. Mark Stoneman has played three test matches with a high score of 52 and averages 30.00 yet is considered a certainty. Toby Roland-Jones is out of the pace attack and the Kookaburra ball loses its swing early, a problem for both Broad and Anderson. Moeen Ali too will have a hard time, facing the twin pressures of being an off-spinner and a Muslim in a country that favours pace bowling and white immigration.

So let’s not turn on our own eh, lads? On top of the unproven allegations of actual bodily harm, Ben Stokes has mysteriously suffered a fracture to his right hand. If for any reason he misses the first test we’ll lose all five, mark my words.

Review: Husky Loops – EP2

Written by Hannah Brierley on . Posted in Music.

Husky Loops are a band set on breaking the rules, bending genre boundaries, and stepping boldly into the unknown. Their new EP strikes a perfect balance between the unhinged nature of their live shows and the meticulous detail that goes into every one of their studio recordings.

It’s messy but precise, fierce but mellow, open but intriguing.  Far-out apocalyptic arrangements collide with oddball pop structures as the group continues to define and accomplish their incredible musical vision. Their new record ‘EP2’ will be available digitally and on 12″ vinyl on the 6th of October.

The band are also set to tour with Placebo this month, as well as playing shows with Superfood & Tigerclub, which will then be followed by a full headline tour across the UK in November.

The release kicks off with ‘Girl that wants to Travel the World’. The repetitive but effective lyrics are both wistful and sombre. This beautifully contrasts with the jingly guitar tunes and wholesome bass lines. This first track lulls you into a false sense of security, the calm before the storm if you will.

From nostalgic to unnerving, the next track leaps into what feels like an audio horror movie. ‘Re-collect’ throws together a whirlwind of distortion, overlaid with echoing spoken words with shivering interjections entwined within. ‘Re-collect’ seems to just reverberate the whole way through, in a way that is twistingly satisfying. The track flows smoothly into the band’s latest single ‘Fading Out’.

This track is infectious from the very start. The throbbing melody in the song and sinister vocals are slightly resembling that of SLAVES.  ‘Where ya going boy? What’s floating in the water’ The album concludes with ‘Secret Matilda’ which stays consistent with the creepy undertones but strong rhythms and cleverly moving sound — listen to it with headphones and see what I mean. Has a hypnotic enchantment.

Trying to summarise Husky Loops is both perplexing and an ambitious task. The 3-piece don’t fall easily into one clear-cut genre. This album will take you on an eerily enchanting journey, which isn’t for the faint-hearted, but one I highly recommend that you take anyway.

8/10

Review: WHP – Floating Points

Written by Alfie Habershon on . Posted in Music.

On Saturday 30th September, the former air raid shelter underneath Piccadilly station opened for its second weekend of action this calendar year. Crowds jostled along Store Street to enter with urgency; excited by what was waiting inside, but also in fear of the 10pm last entry cut off. The infamous — and now 11 years old — Warehouse project proved to be its usual mixed bag of music, which was so outstanding it took your attention away from how overcrowded it was, as per usual.

Once inside, those able to keep hold of their friends  could travel straight down to an eclectic selection of dance music on offer across three rooms. Sophie Wilson aka Willow met those upon arrival with a high energy set in room one. The Manchester-born DJ and producer identified vinyl collecting in the Northern Quarter, only 200 metres down the road, and long nights at now closed down Sankeys are key sources of inspiration. She delivered an onslaught of distinctly raw and stripped back broken beats. Although perhaps this would have been best appreciated at a deeper and darker time, later in the night.

Elsewhere, behind a large doorway of heavy soundproof flaps, Madlib delivered a more lyrical and rhythmic performance of old-school hip-hop, reggae and jazz to room 2. Dancers sang along and socialised with one another. The highly-rated American producer proved a great antidote, for those perhaps not yet ready, to give way to the intense metronome of harsher electronic music.

Once settled in, Jon Hopkins’ performance between the towering brick walls of the main room caught the attention of many. The former classical pianist showed no evidence of gentle symphonies with a raucous display. Head bopping bongos that broke into thunderous drums caused a ripple of fist pumps and roars through the audience. “Jon Hopkins did bits” one audience member declared, having reflected through the arduous winding queue to the smoking area. They were right. He did.

Floating Points followed at just the right time. Once Neuroscientist Sam Shepard deployed a sublime blend of music that blurred the distinction between genres. Tinkering between the realms of melodic techno, afrobeat and 90s house with scientific accuracy, accompanied by a visual backdrop of revolving yellow striped lights and twinkling blue dots. This was a performance full of surprises. Most notably when his set ripped into screeching disco with 20 minutes to go. This tore grins across the faces of all, bringing genuine atmosphere to a stage that can feel disjointed at times.

As the night progressed, and as some left the venue, pockets of space opened. Dancer’s were able to stretch their limbs, relieved from a penguin-like stance. This served as a reward for those who had stayed on into the final stages. Perhaps epitomised by Jeremy Underground’s closing selection of hip shifting house and groove classics to a small united crowd underneath the warm orange glow of room 2.

Some will rightly question this event as one which could deliver a far better visitor experience. As well as ordering their artists with more care, to achieve trajectory of mood that builds the audience up throughout the evening. Having said that the quality and variety of music available, as always, is undeniably brilliant.

 

Manchester Food and Drink Festival 2017

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in News.

Possible unbeknown to most students, what with the common fear of travelling too far from Fallowfield, the Manchester Food and Drink Festival is taking place this weekend in Albert Square. Attracting Manchester’s finest stalls, it was an event not to be missed.

Completely free to enter, this festival is a must for anyone with a love of street food, live music or good old daytime drinking. The festival plays host to various street food vans, with themes from across the world. Over 15 different food stalls can supply you with anything from churros to chicken chaat, hoi-sin duck to halloumi fries and shawarma to shakes.

Fan-favourite stalls include the hip-hop chip shop (a national fish and chip shop winner) and Tampopo; a Bangkok style street food who is also celebrating 20 years of business. From paella to, Indian street food to hotdogs; Moroccan wraps, fresh curries, hip-hop chip shops, crepes, and churros. The sensational food aromatises the city. It is impossible to not find something that you will enjoy!

Photo: Savannah Gough

Live music from local acts plays all day, starting at 11am and running through to 11pm at the weekend. The music, located in a marquee selling £5 cocktails and local craft beers, becomes increasingly upbeat as festival-goers become increasingly intoxicated. The selection of craft beers is fantastic, and the prices seem fairly reasonable, starting at £3.50 and peaking at £4.50 for the stronger beers (up to 7 per cent!).

Another popular attraction is the Fever Tree gin bar which offers a range of gins (local and otherwise) and tonics with a quaint tepee and deck chairs for relaxed afternoon drinking. The gin tent offers local gins and a variety of flavoured mixers; the lemon thyme and rosemary with local Didsbury gin is a fantastic option! These are, however, somewhat steeper at £9 a double and £7 a single, an issue which provides the only slight stumbling block.

Previously, the UK’s largest food and drink festival has attracted the likes of Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsey. Saturday 30th September saw Deliciously Ella bring her cult cuisine to the rainy city. After a free Q&A session and book signing, Ella prepared a lavish feast for those lucky enough to get their hands on tickets. The three-course banquet seated at eloquently decorated tables featured creamy corn chowder, an assortment of family plates such as roasted artichokes, edamame hummus, herby black rice and finally, a mango sponge cake for pudding.

If, as I would suggest, someone wants to make a day out of the festival, they might need to be prepared to spend a little more than an average student day out. The price for food varies somewhat from cart to cart, but a main tends to be in the £6-£8 bracket. This is not a bad price all things considered, however it very quickly becomes incredibly difficult to walk past any of the food stalls whilst resisting trying a little something! Not all of the food is mind-blowing, but a vast quantity of it really is done to a very high quality, using local ingredients and cooked by people who love what they’re doing. This can mean that the festival gets to be a little pricey, however while the festival may not be the cheapest thing you could do with your weekend, I can guarantee that it will be one of the most entertaining.

After 20 years of celebrating the best food and drink in Manchester; this year had our taste buds tingling with the assortment of vendors there was no opportunity to go hungry. The Food and Drink festival of 2017 brought the best food, drink, guests and musicians. The festival culminates with a prestigious food and drink awards, despite the celebrations or commiserations; here’s to celebrating 20 more years of Manchester’s finest food and drink.

PS take an umbrella, this is Manchester after all!

 

University staff vote ‘yes’ to strike action

Written by Cameron Broome on . Posted in News.

Lecturers at the University of Manchester have voiced their outrage at 140 potential staff redundancies through a vote in favour industrial action later this month.

Members of University College and Union (UCU) held the vote on Wednesday the 4th of October. There was a turnout of 57.7 percent, and a total of 1049 votes were cast.

86.7 per cent of members who voted suggested they were “prepared to take industrial action consisting of a strike”, while 93.1 per cent were “prepared to take industrial action short of a strike.”

On the day of the vote, UCU members gathered in the Old Quadrangle off Oxford Road at 1.30pm to lobby the Board of Governors. Strike action has been planned for Monday the 23rd of October and Tuesday the 24th of October, and staff will then begin working to rule from Thursday the 25th of October.

UCU regional official, Martyn Moss, said: “Today’s decisive ballot result reflects the strength of feeling amongst our members who have been incensed at every aspect of these proposals to slash jobs.

“The University of Manchester has been plunged into crisis because of a management strategy that bypassed the professionals who work in the affected areas. These redundancy proposals lack a convincing rationale and staff are not confident that the process will be fairly and consistently implemented.

“Striking is always a last resort and there is still the opportunity to avoid it. The University of Manchester must take compulsory redundancies off the table.”

The proposed redundancies are in the University’s School of Arts, Languages and Cultures (35 posts), the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health (65 posts) and Alliance Manchester Business School (40 posts).

As previously reported in The Mancunion, an email was sent on Wednesday the 10th of October 2016 to thousands of University staff detailing a Board of Governors’ decision about job cuts.

In a statement given at the time, a University spokesman said: “We have detailed plans for significant growth in funds from a range of activities, but we will also need to make cost savings. On the 3rd of May the Board of Governors approved proposals from the senior staff of the University to commence consultation with the Trade Unions in relation to reductions of up to 171 posts.

“The University proposes to open a voluntary severance scheme for staff at risk, to avoid the need for compulsory redundancy if at all possible.”

However, in a recent survey of staff conducted by union members, 88 per cent of respondents suggested they did not believe they have been provided with a convincing rationale for the job losses.

The union also claim staff were not given any opportunity to have any say on the proposals which were drawn up by senior managers, and suggest that 87 per cent of staff surveyed reported that management had not adequately responded to concerns raised through internal university structures.

The union has also rejected the university’s claim that it needs to create “financial headroom”, instead arguing that the University “is in a strong financial position having recorded a £36m surplus last year (2015/16) and its financial statement for the same year revealed it is sitting on £1.5bn of reserves. The 140 redundancies would be followed by the creation of 100 plus new early career academic appointments so the money saved would be comparatively small in relation to the university’s total budget.”

Emma Atkins, Students’ Union Education Officer, echoed these thoughts and added: “UCU delivered an incredibly successful ballot ….It sends a powerful message to the University’s leadership that staff are extremely angry with the job cuts and the way it has been handled. Additionally, the SU Senate passed a motion to support staff that are at risk of redundancy and UCU, demonstrating students also feel very strongly about job cuts.”

Save Our Staff MCR, the University-based campaign to stop the job cuts, told The Mancunion: “With this call for strike action, the University Hierarchy will need to think again before totally disregarding the livelihoods of their employees. As the student wing of this strike, we will stand in solidarity with our staff in protest until they are assured that no job cuts will take place in the name of blind greed and profit.”

In response to the vote, a University of Manchester spokesperson said: “The University is naturally disappointed that members of the UCU have voted that they are prepared to take industrial action consisting of a strike and/or industrial action short of a strike, particularly because these staffing changes have been considered carefully through an extensive consultation process with all three of our recognised Trade Unions, including the UCU. This includes 16 collective consultation meetings that have taken place since May, plus two meetings facilitated by ACAS, which have resulted in a number of amendments to the proposals as a consequence of consultation.

“The University is committed to mitigating the need for redundancy, and in line with the Security of Employment Policy has taken a number of steps including sourcing redeployment opportunities for ‘at risk’ staff, tight vacancy management control and offering a generous Voluntary Severance Scheme.

“Whilst we hope that staff will decide to continue to work normally, every effort will be made to ensure that there will be no significant disruption to operations at the University and particularly to our students should there be any industrial action. We also remain committed to continue our dialogue with the Trade Unions and staff on these plans as they are implemented.”

 

Preview: Super League Grand Final XXII – Castleford Tigers v Leeds Rhinos

Written by Jamie McEvoy on . Posted in Sport.

It’s been another thrilling season in the Betfred Super League. Castleford Tigers have claimed their first ever League Leader’s Shield, running away at the top of the table, whilst regular heavy-hitters Wigan Warriors failed to qualify for the play-offs for the first time since 2006.

The Super 8s format — still fresh from being introduced in 2015 — proved to be the downfall of Salford Red Devils.
Meanwhile, Warrington Wolves suffered a miserable season as they surprisingly failed to finish in the top 8, instead competing in (and winning) the Super 8s Qualifiers table.

It has all led up to this moment; Castleford Tigers and Leeds Rhinos will clash at Old Trafford on Saturday evening.  Since the League’s birth, the stadium has hosted both fantastic and shocking moments, from Sean Long’s winning drop-kick for St Helens in 2002, to Ben Flower’s mindless punch of a floored Lance Hohaia in the opening minutes of the 2014 final.

It is poetic that Castleford have made fought their way to the final.  They were by far the superior team this season, and after a mixed decade in the top flight since their promotion in 2007, they finally have their shot in the limelight.

A nerve-wracking and well-earned semi-final victory against St Helens could not have been more deserved for the Tigers. Castleford spent 70 minutes of the game in front, before a late flurry of tries from Saints appeared to have won the game for the away side.  However, Luke Gale converted a penalty kick to send the game into golden-point extra time, before playing hero again with the decisive drop goal.

Gale and fullback Zak Hardaker — both Man of Steel nominees — have been the league leaders’ stand out players, and they will undoubtedly be integral to any hopes of being crowned Super League champions this weekend.

Facing Castleford will be league table runners-up Leeds Rhinos, who managed to hold off Hull FC at Headingly Stadium in an equally thrilling encounter. Leeds squandered a 12 point lead after tries from the Black and Whites either side of half-time from Gareth Ellis, Mahe Fonua and Sika Manu.

Yet they powered on to reclaim the lead and book their place at Old Trafford.  Even if they do not emerge victorious on Saturday, The Rhinos have reached their tenth Grand Final, equalling Saints’ record number of appearances.  The disappointment of last year’s ninth-place finish is most definitely behind them.

This weekend’s showdown will mark a farewell to Leeds veterans Rob Burrow and Danny Maguire, who will surely be looking for a fairy-tale ending to their careers with The Rhinos.

It will be an extremely closely-contested final between the two sides, yet Castleford will be confident they can overcome a Rhinos team that they have already seen off four times this year, including an early season demolition when they battered the West Yorkshire side 66-10 at The Jungle.

The 2017 Super League Grand Final takes place at Old Trafford, Saturday 7th October, at 6 pm, and is live on Sky Sports Main Event and Arena.

Language badges introduced to welcome international students

Written by Tristan Parsons on . Posted in News.

Manchester Students’ Union’s Diversity Officer, Riddi Viswanathan has introduced the “I Speak Other Languages Too” badge in an attempt to “make the University more welcoming for international students, especially for students facing language barriers.”

The badge is to be worn by staff and students ASK ME ambassadors who speak a language other than English. They have been available since the start of the 2017 autumn term.

“As well as addressing language barriers, these badges also to help students and staff break the ice,” Ms Viswanathan said. Feedback has been positive so far; one University staff member said: “I’m sure lots of international students will really appreciate this!”

She added: “I am super glad that students from different countries are feeling warm and welcomed already. Even home students are asking them if they could teach them their language and I couldn’t be happier to see these students gel so well.”

Thaikun, Spinningfields

Written by Samuel Pigott on . Posted in Food & Drink, Uncategorised.

I never had a gap year, nor have I been to Thailand to find myself. I can still confidently say, however, that if you want to find great Thai food, Thaikun may not be the place for you. Located in the heart of Spinningfields, it has to be said that the décor does its best to transport you to Thailand.

You’ll find yourself sitting amongst tuk-tuks and mandalas, and much of the food comes in very authentic serving dishes. There are, however, many gimmicky touches that will not please those looking for a genuinely authentic experience. Some of the cocktails, for example, are served in the fishbowls one may expect to find on a beach in Koh Phangan.

The starters, it has to be said, were very good. The chicken satay was rich and had a much more fragrant flavour than many satay sauces. The tempura prawns were perfectly cooked, with a light and yet crispy batter. The prawn crackers were still warm and came with a delightfully tangy sweet chilli, and the spring rolls had a fantastic filling.

Unfortunately, this is where most of the compliments begin to run out.

The mains — in this case, a pork belly red curry and sukiyaki chicken — left an awful lot to be desired. I also feel it worth mentioning that it was not possible to order beer on draught, or to order an authentic Thai beer; perhaps not the end of the world but disappointing nonetheless.

The pork belly in the red curry was somehow dry and yet still very fatty, while the curry itself was bland at best. Completely lacking in the beautiful flavours that one would expect from a Thai red curry, it was weak and watery.

Gone were the fantastic flavours of ginger, garlic, chilli, and kaffir lime leaves, the richness of coconut milk and the beautiful soft meat that pork belly ought to be. The sukiyaki chicken was somewhat better, but one would still only go as far as to describe it as fine.

Overall, although the starters were very good, and the experience of dining in a busy city-centre restaurant was enjoyable, Thaikun is not the place for anyone looking for fantastic, or authentic Thai food.

 

Sexpression pub quiz this Friday at Squirrel’s bar

Written by Cameron Broome on . Posted in News.

On Friday the 6th of October, student-led charity Sexpression will be hosting a ‘Sexy Pub Quiz‘ at Squirrel’s Bar, Owens Park Campus starting at 19:00.

The aim of the quiz is to engage students in various aspects of sex and relationships without the clinical aspect of a sex-ed lesson. The organisation also hope to raise awareness of Sexpression’s goals as a national charity.

Entry costs £1 and money from the quiz will go towards training volunteers on the 14th of October 2017, with the first prize including one free platter at Nando’s. Co-chair of Sexpression, Rosa Simonet said: “with rounds on music, general knowledge, innuendos and fetishes and kinks, the quiz will make towards a great Friday night.”

Sexpression is a charity that aims to empower young people when it comes to sex and relationships. The committee welcomes all to the event on Friday, to help Sexpression achieve their goals.

Daisy Manning, training officer for the Manchester branch, stated: “Irrespective of personal morals or opinions on sex and relationships, young people being educated and empowered to make their own informed decisions around sex and relationships is extremely powerful in their own personal development. Young people having the knowledge to choose the right contraceptive for them (if any) or what they want or don’t want from a relationship is extremely empowering in solidifying a young person’s autonomy. This is why Sexpression Manchester’s work is so important.”

Engaging with students on campus, the organisation runs free STI testing stalls, provides free contraception and hosts events in the hope of starting conversations about different aspects of sex, relationships and gender identity.

Sex Week officer, Letitia Budu, said: “I love being a part of a society that acknowledges and actively engages with so many different marginalised groups.”

Further, Co-chair Stuart Hall added: “Sexpression has an amazing team, inspired from one year to the next. The team aim to spread some joy by running exciting socials like ‘Sexy Quiz’ and have their own mascot (Miss Penis) who is sure to turn any frown upside down.”

This year Sexpression will be organising several campaigns. Firstly, the charity will campaign for students in Manchester to have access to a ‘c-card’, allowing students to gain free or discounted contraception from their local pharmacy.

Secondly, with the help of academics and sex worker rights activists, Sexpression will campaign for the student union to incorporate a policy to protect student sex workers. According to a survey conducted by the National Student Survey, 35 per cent of respondents said their involvement in sex work is to pay for their university fees.

Any students who would like to get involved in the society can to talk to volunteers at the quiz on Friday, or can email at [email protected].

Prime Minister receives P45 during speech at Conservative conference

Written by Alex Whitcomb on . Posted in News.

Theresa May was upstaged at her conference address today, as prankster comedian Simon Brodkin (a.k.a. Lee Nelson) stormed the stage.

In the middle of the Prime Minister’s closing conference address, Brodkin approached the lectern and handed her a P45 that he said was from Boris Johnson.

Mr Brodkin was then escorted out by security, in front of a substantial media scrum.

Greater Manchester Police have confirmed that a man has been arrested for a breach of the peace.

Following the interruption, Mrs May was also beset with coughing.

A spokesman for the Prime Minister confirmed there will be a “thorough investigation into what’s happened [with regards to security]”, and that despite the clear issues with her delivery, the Prime Minister is in good health and was pleased with the way the speech went.

The events came as questions over the Prime Minister continue to be asked.

Media scrum at Conservative Party Conference (Photo: Alex Whitcomb)

The Foreign Secretary has repeatedly been touted as a leadership rival to Mrs May and caused controversy himself on Tuesday night by joking about “dead bodies” in Sirte.

The Prime Minister’s office has since clarified that it was not an appropriate choice of words, but that Mr Johnson’s subsequent explanation should put the issue to an end.

Entitled “Renewing the British Dream”, the Prime Minister’s speech announced that there will be a new cap on energy prices, and an increase in affordable housebuilding worth £2 billion.

She also apologised to activists calling the snap election and losing the Conservatives’ majority.

There were also issues with the “Building A Country That Works For Everyone” sign behind the prime minister, which appeared to be falling off the wall.

Manchester and 60 years of the space age

Written by Kieran O'Brien on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

The year 1957 was significant for a number of reasons — Dwight D. Eisenhower was sworn in for his second term as U.S. President, Ghana became the first country in colonial Africa to gain independence, the Suez Canal reopened in Egypt following the crisis of the previous year, and the modern world was about to enter a new age that few people had expected — the space age.

Wednesday the 4th of October marked the 60th anniversary of one of the most significant advances in science and technology. A small, 84 kg metal sphere — complete with four radio antennae powered by little more than a car battery — became the first man-made object to enter orbit around the Earth and thus became our planet’s first artificial satellite.

Sputnik 1, as the satellite was called, was launched by the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War. Although launched in secret behind the iron curtain, the satellite was quickly detected by western nations. More significantly, the Lovell Telescope at the Jodrell Bank observatory in Cheshire — owned by the University of Manchester — became the first radio telescope in the west to detect Sputnik’s booster rocket and the radio pulses transmitted back to Earth.

Incidentally, this year also marks the 60th anniversary of the university’s Lovell Telescope, at the time the largest radio telescope in the world. What better claim to fame for our university than to be the first to detect the world’s first artificial satellite?

But given the paranoia of the Cold War, U.S. intelligence agencies scrambled to decipher these mysterious radio signals. As it turned out, it was nothing more than meaningless transmissions, used only as a test to see if such satellite radio technology would work.

Few technological advancements have had such an impact on the future of science. The launch of Sputnik triggered the space race, and over the course of the following years saw further achievements in space science: the first animal in space, Laika the dog, aboard Sputnik 2; the first human in space, Yuri Gagarin in 1961; and the first spacewalk by Alexey Leonov in 1965.

All of these milestones were achieved by the Soviet Union, and it wasn’t until 1969 when the U.S. gained the upper hand in the space race by putting the first human beings on our natural satellite, the Moon.

And of course, without the launch of Sputnik, we wouldn’t have commercial satellites orbiting the Earth, and so for one thing, Google Maps and other apps which use location technology simply wouldn’t exist.

As we see renewed interest in space science with the Curiosity Rover on Mars, the Voyager spacecraft becoming the first man-made object to leave our solar system, the spectacular 20-year Cassini mission, and ever-growing serious proposals to send the first humans and colonisers to Mars, let us not forget Sputnik 1, without which none of these spectacular space missions would have been possible.

In just 60 years since Sputnik’s launch, we have learned more about the solar system and deep space than we could ever have dreamed of. And yet there is still so much more to discover! Who knows what advances we will have achieved in another 60 years.

Perhaps the Mancunion will write a similar piece in 2077 — from a Martian campus?

Tom Petty: A Farewell (1950-2017)

Written by Alexander Corns on . Posted in Music.

Tom Petty – Heartbreaker, Wilbury, s­­­olo musician, storyteller, and so much more – has died aged 66.

Having started his musical career with Mudcrutch, the band with which he also released his last album ‘2’ in 2016, he then formed Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in 1976, alongside fellow Mudcrutch members Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, and graced us with thirteen studio albums as well as another three solo albums along the way.

The Heartbreakers‘ first, self-titled album initially gained little recognition other than the single ‘Breakdown’, but it was their second album, You’re Gonna Get it! that propelled them into stardom with singles like ‘Listen To Her Heart’ and ‘Baby’s a Rock ‘n’ Roller’.

Petty’s Americana twang, combined with simple rock & roll music and romanticised stories of rebellious individuals almost always existing somewhere in California struck a chord with listeners, and tracks like ‘The Waiting’, ‘Listen To Her Heart’, ‘Refugee’, ‘Mary Jane’s Last Dance’, and ‘Learning To Fly’ were immediate hits.

In the late 1980s, Petty recorded two albums as part of the Traveling Wilburys, a supergroup consisting of himself, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, George Harrison and Roy Orbison, under the monikers Charlie T. Wilbury, Jr. and Muddy Wilbury.

Though they never toured, singles from these albums like ‘Handle With Care’ and ‘Tweeter and the Monkey Man’ were regularly played live by Petty on tours from 2003-2008. Aside from his band success, Petty also released three solo albums, most notably the Jeff Lynne produced Full Moon Fever, which reached no. 8 in the U.K. charts.

Petty always remained loyal to The Heartbreakers, however, hardly ever changing the band’s lineup and consistently coming back to them to record new records. He recorded his final album with them in 2014, entitled Hypnotic Eye. Amazingly, this album earned the group their first ever number one spot in the Billboard 200.

Petty was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. He had just concluded a celebratory tour of The Heartbreakers’ 40th anniversary before his untimely death on Monday night. Throughout his career, he sold over 80 million records worldwide.

 

On a personal level, Petty’s death has left me devastated.

His 1989 solo album Full Moon Fever was the first album I ever listened to that made me realise that ‘old’ music (if you can call it that – ‘old’ in this context may simply mean pre-dating my birth) could be cool.

Even a lyrically basic song like ‘The Apartment Song’ (“Oh yeah, I’m alright, I just feel a little lonely tonight / I’m okay, most of the time / I just feel a little lonely tonight”) left me entranced with its heartland, almost country-rock sound and paradoxically tongue-in-cheek but relatable words.

Tom Petty was a magnificent songwriter. Lines such as “My sister got lucky, married a yuppie / Took him for all he was worth / Now she’s a swinger dating a singer / I can’t decide which is worse” from ‘Yer So Bad’ will never fail to make me smile, and unlike other artists whom I adore, Petty never seemed as if he could have a grumpy streak.

The utterly surreal music video for ‘Don’t Come Around Here No More’, in which Petty plays Alice In Wonderland’s Mad Hatter, is a perfect example of his sense of humour. His ability to tell stories in his music, in ‘Two Gunslingers’, for example, was just another string to his bow.

That isn’t to say, though, that his music was all the same upbeat rock that one might immediately associate with him.

Whilst his voice seemed to remain eternally youthful but wise, comfortably unchanging throughout his musical canon, he was able to express brooding sentiment about his own individuality with songs like ‘You Don’t Know How It Feels’ and portrayed his own vulnerability beautifully in ‘Alright For Now’. He just wasn’t an artist that anyone could say they deeply disliked the music or personality of. Even those that weren’t big fans couldn’t deny the quality of certain hits.

I know of no one who hated him or his music in the way that so many artists over the years have divided opinion. Rock critic Lester Bangs wrote in his obituary for Elvis Presley that “We will never again agree on anything as we agreed on Elvis.” Tom Petty may be an exception to this rule.

I will now always regret choosing not to fork out £75 to go and see a musical hero of mine play in London last summer, and will instead only ever be able to imagine what hearing him play songs that mean so much to me, live, might have been like.

His music is not only proper, spirit-lifting rock, it is comforting and honest too, and the meaning behind much of it – ‘I Won’t Back Down’ springs to mind – seems as important now as ever. The only consolation when an artist one holds so dear dies is that, thankfully, their music remains and can forever be discovered, like new, and enjoyed.

Farewell, Tom. I will, no doubt, keep crawling back to you.

Review: People, Places & Things

Written by Anna Merabishvili on . Posted in Theatre.

People, Places and Things is a play about identity, escaping reality, and how the abuse of drugs and alcohol can cause a person to become lost within their own life.

It tells the story of a drug addict, Emma, who goes to rehab in order to ‘heal’ herself, and the audience follow her journey through it as she gradually improves. Her inability to reveal the truth about herself comes due to the fact that she is also an actress, and by pretending to be different characters through her life she struggles to find her true identity.

The production at HOME, directed by Jeremy Herrin and Holly Race Roughan, succeeded in conveying the sense of confusion between what is real and what is not. As a result drawing the audience sympathies towards the protagonist, Emma (Lisa Dwyer Hogg). Hogg was particularly convincing in playing a character who is constantly isolated, and lost in her own world. She outshone the rest of the actors in the play, as her character seemed the most developed and contrasted with the lack of personality of everyone around her.

However, this worked as a way of highlighting the society through Emma’s eyes: the therapists as unsympathetic, the other members of the therapy group all having their own issues, and her own parents as unable to understand or believe her when she finally confronted them.

The play really managed to capture the chaos inside Emma’s head. While none of the characters could see through her eyes, the audience were given that power. The loud, thumping music, the strobe lights and the different ‘Emmas’ that appeared at two points in the production, crawling out from inside her bed and from the side doors, powerfully represented Emma’s unstable mind. This was combined with the fact that another audience was sitting on the other side of the stage, facing us. The effect was the feeling that Emma was constantly being watched – she appeared a lot more vulnerable and was under constant gaze from the audience on each side.

Yet, those moments of chaos were juxtaposed with the realistic set, and the naturalistic style throughout most of the play. I think it created the sense that the audience were there too – the clinical feeling of the hospital room was conveyed effectively, and the therapy group seemed an inclusive, familiar, but not a very comfortable space.

Overall, I very much enjoyed the play, and was fully engaged throughout. It was easy to follow Emma’s journey and although I felt distanced from her at first, she became an accessible character as it became clearer what she thought and felt.

In the end, it really made the audience think about what it means to be alive.

The play runs until the 7th of October, you can buy tickets here.