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Day: 2 November 2017

‘Night Owl’ scheme receives widespread criticism

Written by Cameron Broome on . Posted in News.

The ‘Night Owl’ safety scheme proposed by the Students’ Union has come under fire this week, with many students in the Fallowfield area raising concerns about how efficient it would be and how it would safeguard the volunteers.

On the 31st of October,  The Mancunion reported that the scheme would be launched in early 2018, following an initial period of consultation.

The Students’ Union Communities Officer, Jack Houghton, said: “The union’s [‘Night Owl’] plan will provide self-defence training, bystander training, first aid training and advice training to ensure the safety of students. We will also be setting up an office to support students whilst on a night out. For example, to track volunteer locations and to maintain contact with police and security services during patrols.

“Between now and December I will be putting on consultation sessions with students so as to gain an idea of what people want the scheme to look like and whether they agree with the Students’ Union’s plan.”

After a petition titled “Greater Manchester Police & Andy Burnham: help us to make Fallowfield safe for students!” was signed by over 8,000 students and an investigation by The Mancunion suggested that students increasingly rely on Facebook for anecdotal advice about staying safe in South Manchester, the ‘Night Owl’ scheme is part of the Students’ Union’s response to make the streets feel safer for students.

The proposed ‘Night Owl’ scheme was heavily criticised by some Manchester students. Jack Joscelyne, a Law student at the University of Manchester Law, said: “so instead of police patrols we’re going to have vigilante students roaming about stopping crime?” This was in comment on Facebook and was liked by 52 people, suggesting it resonated with many others.

A Pharmacy student at the University of Manchester, Adam Jameson, said: “what difference is self defence going to make when you’re up against a group of blokes with machetes?”

Manchester University Philosophy student, Joe Martin, went as far as to say that the proposed ‘Night Owl’ scheme was “almost offensive to anyone that’s been assaulted, threatened, stabbed or mugged”, with another student adding that the ‘Night Owl’ scheme “really feels to me like it’s being organised by individuals who haven’t been on the receiving end of the situation that they’re trying to resolve.”

Despite the criticism of the proposal, there were some students who felt the scheme would be beneficial.

University of Manchester Chemistry student, Oliver Backhouse, responded to the criticism and said: “You’re all complaining that this is not going to solve the problem and that we need more police officers — but if you have half a brain…you’ll know that’s never gonna happen. What is wrong with volunteers trying to do their bit? Even if they make one person feel less vulnerable then it’s a success.”

Others students also had more nuanced views, with Rhianna Shaw, a Law with Criminology student at the University of Manchester, suggesting that “perhaps instead of using student volunteers use police volunteers, Police Specials have the same powers as regular officers and wear a similar uniform. They will also have better training. This is probably more of a deterrent than two students walking around in hi vis.”

In response to criticism and fears that students were to become substitutes for police in South Manchester, Jack Houghton said: “You are correct that increasing police numbers would help deal with the problem and is why Manchester Students’ Union is determined to fight for an increased police presence in student areas. However, it is important to remember that police numbers are at historically low levels.

“The result has meant that Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have had to reduce police numbers everywhere in the city. As much as I would love to see the Government increase police funding for the UK, we must be proactive and assume the funding situation is not going to improve anytime soon.”

Jack added that the ‘Night Owl’ scheme “has worked really well at other Universities” and that it is “not supposed to be reactive and therefore will avoid putting themselves in direct danger.”

He said that “volunteers are trained in first-defence for a last resort only” and that the scheme “is not the only answer”, citing how the Students’ Union are “working on a safety app which has a discussion board for students to warn each other of crime reports, a map to plot the location of these crimes and all information on current student safety schemes. ”

He also added that the Students’ Union are “looking into hiring a Student Safety Officer at Manchester Student Union to focus on improving current schemes and setting up new ones and pointed out that “56,000 street lights [are] being replaced with LED bulbs in Manchester and we are fighting for new street lights on certain streets, alleyways and parks.”

Statistics issued by the Home Office on the 19th of October covering the 12-month period from July 2016 to June 2017 suggested that crime increased by 31 per cent in Greater Manchester in the last year.

In the region of Greater Manchester, violence against a person was indicated to have increased by 46 per cent over the 12-month period, sexual offences increased by 31 per cent, burglary increased by 14 per cent and robbery was suggested to have increased by 53 per cent.

In the summer of 2017, the Home Office asked Police and Crime Commissioners and Police Chiefs to assess the levels of strain and resilience of all 43 police forces across the country. It was suggested that extra £440m is required for 2018/19 and £845m in 2019/20 to combat rising crime and protest the public.

Greater Manchester’s Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Beverley Hughes said: “These figures show that while pressures on the police are increasing, resources remain under great strain.  I have spoken out time and again about the need for more funding for our police and it’s clear that this pressure is felt across the country.

“Recorded crime is on the rise in Greater Manchester, with an overall increase of 31 per cent in the last year. Our police are committed to protecting the public, but the funding we receive is simply not enough given the increase in serious and complex crimes such as sexual and violent crime and the terrorist threat we face. I hope the Government will respond to these new figures and create a new settlement for policing.”

Given the polarised debate the proposed ‘Night Owl’ scheme has caused, Jack said: “I urge people interested in influencing how this scheme works to attend the Night Owl consultation session on 28th November”, adding that it is “really important to the Students’ Union that all your opinions are heard.”

Live Review: Metallica

Written by Will Baldwin-Pask on . Posted in Music.

The 28th of October, Manchester Arena

There’s only one place in Manchester that could host Metallica and do it justice for all. And that is the Arena. Because Metallica don’t offer gigs, they offer battlegrounds. Violent performances for thirsty crowds, with only one rule: leave no witness disappointed.

The 36-year-old metal pioneers bring a ten-album career, including fresh cuts from last year’s Hardwired…to Self-Destruct, to the North of England for one of only a handful of UK dates.

A combination of the band’s exclusivity and legacy means the 21,000 capacity venue is packed with the most die-hard of fans. For many it is their first time, for many others, it’s another ‘best night ever’ courtesy of their all-time favourite ever artist.

In traditional Metallica uniform – black t-shirt, white skin, a look of impenetrable adoration – the hoards swarm around a stage centred in the room like some hellish plinth. The band finally take to it as the iconic final shoot-out scene from ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ fittingly plays, and the Arena is transformed into a war zone.

Opening track ‘Hard Wired’ sets the lethal tone for the rest of the night, with Kirk Hammett unleashing an abattoir of solos and James Hetfield’s drill sergeant bark having lost none of its ferocity with age. The four horsemen-turned-musicians play glaring out across the globe in different directions, backs to each other and balls to the crowd as they follow up with ‘Atlas, Rise!’.

Overhead, there’s chaos. Spotlights incarcerate the band, flashing through the colour spectrum as if some spaceship battle scene from the ‘70s were going on as they blast through their classic 1983 hit ‘Seek and Destroy’.

Back on stage, every member exhibits the virtuosity they have always been lauded for. Regardless of his cringey dad persona, drummer Lars Ulrich shows off enough shell-blast snare action and machine-gun rhythms to send tremors through the toe bones.

On bass, the hairy man-spider Robert Trujillo gives a superb rendition of the instrumental improv track ‘(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth’ as a tribute to original bassist, the deceased Cliff Burton.

But there are some sloppy moments. On ‘The Day That Never Comes’, the serrated edges are blunted when Ulrich’s bass pedal work and the opposing guitar lines fall over each other, breaking their usually strict ranks.

They go all Blue Man Group at one point, introducing a full-band drumming interlude to ‘Now That We’re Dead’, but some timing errors cause it to become crossfire. Overall the stunt feels a bit contrived, but at least Metallica are trying something new after all these years.

In spite of their legend status, the band has had to deal with accusations since the ‘90s of being sell-outs, caring more about profit than music. With tickets costing well over £100, it’s hard not to sympathise with their detractors.

That said, you really are getting the crème de la crème of concert spectacle. The pyrotechnics are jaw-dropping — fireworks and flamethrowers spouting through the stage floor pass inches from the band members, making Apocalypse Now look like a walk through Platt Fields Park.

During ‘Moth to Flame’, a load of tiny LED drones appear to weave and loop around each other in ballet style — it’s the most remarkable thing this reviewer has ever seen at a gig.

For a group with a history of perpetuating anti-oppression and anti-establishment themes in their music, Metallica — or, as the Mancs say, Meh-tally-cer — indulge the crowd in what can only be described as sheer mind control.

A dozen box-shaped screens surround the stage, gliding up and down like hypnotist watches. Hetfield’s voice is often drowned out as the audience scream the lyrics that have spent decades implanted in their heads and hearts.

There’s a sense that these people would literally do anything for their metalling heroes. Before ‘Now That We’re Dead’, when the singer promises his fans they “can live forever, but first, you must die”, you can see the fear in the security guys’ eyes as they realise they might actually have a mass suicide on their hands.

There’s a healthy balance of new and old songs in the setlist. They sandwich classic ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ between the newer ‘ManUNKind’ and ‘Halo On Fire’ and all three rage equally, Hammett firing off guitar lines with sniper accuracy.

The band even take the time to give a cute nod to their current location, performing short covers of ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’ and ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ as on-screen neon bees float above. The crowd, of course, lose their shit.

But it’s when the hits come later that the room truly surrenders themselves to these four yank fifty-somethings. ‘Creeping Death’ opens up the floor for primordial moshing. ‘Sad But True’ sees a thousand fists smack the sticky air.

The inevitable highlight is ‘One’, a song that even the most cynical Metallica-hater will concede is one of the most sublime metal compositions of all time, unable to resist headbanging along to Hetfield’s optimism: “Darkness imprisoning me / All that I see, absolute horror / I cannot live, I cannot die / Trapped in myself, body my holding cell”.

The inexorable ‘Master of Puppets’ brings initial proceedings to a close, before the group return with an encore of ‘Spit Out the Bone’, ‘Nothing Else Matters’, and, finally, ‘Enter Sandman’. Although they end with their least accomplished but most commercial song, it’s hard to imagine where else in the set it could come as the exhausted crowd spend their last gasps of air belting out the chorus.

The band leave an Arena full of Metallica fans with stiff necks, sore throats, and years-in-the-waiting smiles. It’s been a long war, and at last, it is over. And in the end, everybody won.

8/10

Live Review: Joey Bada$$

Written by Kavindra Huggins on . Posted in Music.

Upon entrance to the archaic Manchester Albert Hall, the collective murmur of excitement coupled well with the thudding background-music — hitting like a wall of sound.

From the paisley printed US-Flag draped down the front wall, it was clear the Joey Bada$$ was to bring the turmoil of his homeland to the industrial North-West of England, to the swarms of Manchester’s hip-hop subculture — donned in bucket hats, expensive brands and rapper’s-merch.

US support artist Sampa the Great blared out her ‘Boom-Bap’ anthems but lacked the stage presence to captivate the audience the same way the warmup DJ was able to. ‘Bodak Yellow’ and ‘Bad and Boujee’ fuelled the growing fire for the headline act to play with.

The militant Joey emerged from backstage to perform with the DJ, his deep voice effortlessly carrying over the backing track: “Rockabye, rockabye, rockabye baby/shotta boy, shotta boy, shotta go crazy!” he shouted, erupting the crowd into a frenzy.

There’s something intrinsically hip-hop about a rapper wearing a bright orange ‘NYC SANITATION’ sweatshirt, cargo pants and military boots, holding a glass of white wine whilst rapping a nursery rhyme.

It showed exactly what Joey Bada$$ is — hip-hop. From the political message, the high energy music to the ‘don’t give a s***’ attitude.

The opening few tracks were high octane and the volatility rose, Joey gave no signs of slowing. From above, he looked messianic; the audience chanting “Joey, Joey, Joey” in between songs. It was a testament to the sincerity in his music and delivery — something lacking in modern rap. After a few scripted interactions followed a brief intermission, after which the performance hit new heights.

On return, the show mellowed as he played older cuts, unfamiliar to the hypebeasts. Tracks such as ’95 to Infinity’, ‘Paper Trail$’, and ‘No. 99’ got some of the older fans excited — it’s noteworthy that ‘old’ in this environment was 20 plus.

Joey then led a brief emotional tribute to his old mentor and founder of his rap collective, Capital Steez, who took his life back in 2012. Much to my own disappointment, the setlist didn’t include ‘#LongLiveSteelo’, perhaps his most personal track — but then it wouldn’t have fit with the night’s theme. “F*** DONALD TRUMP!” Joey exclaimed before he took the show into the stratosphere.

For ‘What’s My Name’, ‘Jozif Badmon’ carefully brought women forward out of concern for their safety. He called for the “biggest moshpits” you’ve ever seen. Mid-song: “Can someone do a backflip?”. Someone did. Joey took his top off in heat, sipped some wine and continued.

Being in the midst of this ruckus was like being in the eye of a hurricane that Joey had total control over. The heat, the sweat, the aches — nothing mattered as he was able to urge you to fight through these pains for his music and all it stands for.

Continuing the ascension, he commanded that the crowd memorise a new hook “When I pull up, pull up, pull up, pull up.”. Out came the videographer. He let down his braids and lost himself whilst steam cannons blitzed the frenzy on the floor.

The final track approached, ‘Devastated’, the bonafide hit from this year’s ALL AMERIKKAN BADA$$. It opened, his entourage came onstage, his earplugs came out, and his wine was thrown everywhere. “I used to feel so devastated/But now we on our way to greatness!”, he yelled. One step, and into the crowd he jumped.

As the lights came on, it was evident that no encore was needed from the energy of the last hour or so. Despite my disposition, Joey may have revived the dying cringe of a moshpit as he put on the greatest performance I’ve witnessed in a long time.

Joey Bada$$ had asserted that his name is uttered in the same hushed tones as fellow rappers such as Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and J. Cole. From ambience to crowd command, he had it all. The only critique to be made would be the growing social media attitude surrounding live gigs — but that’s another story.

9/10.