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Day: 20 November 2017

Review: Football Manager 2018

Written by Jeremy Bijl on . Posted in Games.

Football Manager 2018 released last week with all its usual accompanying social-media hype: videos of men leaving their wives on the altar to play, memes of partners complaining bitterly about its inception, and images of managers suited up in their bedrooms ready for an F.A. cup final. But does Football Manager live up to its reputation of a socially sanctioned time-sink this year?

Having already sunk a good amount of time into successfully steering the mighty Association A.F.C. Fylde away from relegation and unsuccessfully trying to do better than Ronald Koeman at Everton, I can safely say that ‘FM’ is still as addictive as ever.

At its core, the game is largely unchanged, and Sports Interactive seem to have followed the same “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” line of other annual sports releases. That’s not to say that there aren’t changes, additions, and tweaks, but those hoping for a complete overhaul will be largely disappointed.

The match engine, for example, remains its old, idiosyncratic self. Though some of the bizarre behaviours of old have gone, many still remain. Whilst much of this, in my mind, is down to animation rather than programming, it is still irksome to see passbacks, for example, represented in a way which looks unlike anything you’d see in real football.

photo:SportsInteractive

However, there are some improvements to the experience of the match itself. In particular, SI have nailed the proportion of goals scored in certain ways. Free-kicks are now sufficiently rare so as to be special rather than routine, whilst shots from outside the box have returned after last year’s hiatus. Crossing has also been balanced more appropriately, whilst corners fly in at a rate I’d consider only marginally above normal.

Granted, this may be down to my inability to set up a good defence at corners, but this brings me onto my next point of which set-pieces are perhaps the most notable example – old issues left unaddressed.

Set pieces have long needed an overhaul, but remain exactly the same as last year, and the year before. When the set-piece editor was added however many years ago, I assumed it would be the first step of a gradual improvement, but, several years later, it still remains neglected and unwieldy to the point of encouraging the players to ignore it.

This, sadly, can be said for a number of facets of Football Manager, press conferences being a particularly annoying example. Football Manager’s in-game media have been bombarding me with largely the same questions since 2012, and it’s now getting so incredibly tedious to the point that I click through on autopilot or storm out in ludonarrative protest.

Training is another example of this, remaining woefully basic. When setting up training, all you can do is assign a week of training to one, broad category (e.g. attacking, tactics etc.), and that’s as far as it goes. Arguably, even the shell of a management mode in FIFA incorporates more detail into training than this.

There are a number of positive changes, however. A new ‘dynamics’ tab has been added to the main panel of options, which provides insight into the personal relationships between groups of players, a thorough breakdown of player happiness, and a hierarchy of club influencers. Whilst the integration of this is still relatively basic, it is still an important innovation which adds something further to consider when building your squad over a number of years.

In line with this, the importance of partnerships on the pitch is also emphasised this year. Building effective partnerships is a crucial part of Football Manager 2018, particularly in the centre of the pitch, and really builds the sense that you are in charge of a team rather than twenty-three or so individuals.

photo:SportsInteractive

The single biggest change, however, is a subtle one. As opposed to previous years where a tactic could last months or even years before opposition teams wised up to it, tactics in Football Manager 2018 last sometimes only a few weeks before being sussed out which keeps you constantly on your toes and does not allow you to slide into tactical complacency.

This also forces you to engage with the other management tools that have sometimes seemed less important, and constantly pushes you to innovate with gameplans as well as promoting more thorough engagement with opposition tactics, forcing you to be reactionary and methodical. Allied with an improved – though still imperfect – presentation of opposition reports, this makes the tactical side of management deeper and richer than ever.

All in all, it’s the same old story with Football Manager 2018. Much is left unchanged but functional, there are some worthy new innovations, but a number of features remain stale, out-dated and obsolete. Unlike last year’s edition, however, I would argue that, this year, the tweaks and updates nullify the weaknesses of the game.

Whilst I still think that the annual full-price release model of sports games is quickly becoming a means for allowing companies to cash in on minimum effort, this is an axe to grind with the likes of FIFA, Madden and NFL rather than this year’s solid improvement in the Football Manager series.

8/10

Recipe: Salmon with soy sauce, ginger and fennel seed

Written by Alex Ross on . Posted in Food & Drink.

Serves two

Ingredients:

2 salmon fillets

2 spring onions, finely sliced

1 inch of fresh ginger root, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Soy sauce

Runny honey

Fennel seeds/chilli flakes (optional)

Sesame oil

 

Method:

Preheat an oven to 180˚C.

Line an ovenproof dish with enough foil to line the dish and fold back over and seal in the hot air when cooking the salmon. This will prevent the fish from drying out.

Brush a tiny amount of sesame oil — it has a strong flavour — on the bottom, to prevent the salmon from sticking to the foil.

Place the salmon fillets in the dish.

Whisk a generous dollop of honey with an equal amount of soy sauce, the garlic and ginger, and pour most over the salmon.

Sprinkle finely chopped spring onions, as well as (optionally) a few fennel seeds and/or chilli flakes over the top.

Fold the foil over the top and seal.

Put in the preheated oven and cook for 15/20 minutes.

Serve with the rest of the honey/soy/ginger mix with broccoli and rice.

 

 

Review: Fresh Complaint by Jeffrey Eugenides

Written by Gurnaik Johal on . Posted in Books.

Fresh Complaint, Pulitzer prize-winning author, Jeffrey Eugenides’ first collection of short stories, is made up of work spanning his thirty-year career. It is filled with flawed characters in difficult personal and financial positions but there is nothing flawed about Eugenides’ writing. He is a solid story-teller; there’s not a bad sentence in the book, let alone a bad story.

Eugenides manages to write about surreal situations in a realist style and it makes for very funny reading. Each story is pushed just far enough from reality that reading the book is to be shown life from a new perspective, but not so far away as to become gimmicky and contrived.

Here, I’m thinking of Baster, which opens with the line: “The recipe came in the mail: Mix semen of three men. Stir vigorously.” It is undoubtedly a funny story but it subtly reveals a much sadder, emotional core as it progresses.

This is typical of the book. Eugenides delivers moments of compassion in small measured jabs. Despite his previous long novels, the economy of the short story seems to suit his writing style. Highlights for me are Early Music, Capricious Gardens and the title story, all of which feel like they could not have possibly been shorter and would not need to be any longer.

It’s impossible not to sympathise with the characters in the book, and this is an achievement as a lot of them do pretty awful things. For example, the hilarious way in which the protagonist in Find the Bad Guy is portrayed makes it easy to look past his very clear character flaws; reading it I found myself feeling bad for a man breaching a restraining order and stalking his ex-wife and children. Fresh Complaint is a testament to how Eugenides is a master of empathy, these stories are written with heart as well as wit.

For people who have read some of Eugenides’ other work, some of the characters in this collection will be familiar. There is a Middlesex spin-off in The Oracular Vulva and Mitchell from The Marriage Plot makes an appearance in Air Mail.

It’s clear while reading that this is not a book that was sat down and written in one go but compiled over years (each story ends with the date in which it was written). Interestingly, the stories aren’t placed in the order in which they were written, and the reader finds themselves flicking from 2017 to 1988 to 1996.

There are, however, no jarring shifts in style or tone, which proves that Eugenides has been a consistently good writer over the course of his career, but also that he hasn’t changed that much either. One criticism of the book is that there isn’t an incredible amount of range and that perhaps the lack of giant shifts between stories shows a lack of improvement.

I would argue, however, that Eugenides’ style is less stagnant than at a point where improvement would be hard. The book is a great example of well-crafted writing; every word earns its place, each sentence is laced with meaning. Eugenides achieves what a good short story can do better than any other form.

Through examining small cross-sections of characters’ lives, he creates a bigger picture surrounding them and directs the reader  to think about the world around them. Alongside his sprawling novels, I believe the stories in Fresh Complaint show that Eugenides is one of America’s best writers and this new book is a great bite-size introduction to his work.

Over 35,000 students did not vote in NUS delegate elections

Written by Cameron Broome on . Posted in News.

Over 35,000 students at the University of Manchester did not vote in the recently held National Union of Students (NUS) delegate elections.

1,617 votes were cast during the NUS delegate elections, equating to a total turnout of around 4.3 per cent of the 37,000 students at the University eligible to vote, which took place simultaneously alongside the Students’ Union (SU) part-time officer elections.

NUS delegates will represent the University of Manchester Students’ Union, the UK’s largest Students’ Union, at the 2017-2018 NUS conferences, setting the NUS’ agenda for the coming year, debating policies, and voting for the NUS’ national president, vice-presidents, and officers.

Felix-Hanif Banks, a first-year University of Manchester History student who did note vote in the elections, said: “I think the NUS generally focus on using their union as a political platform not necessarily linked to student issues, and then the union loses sight of making positive change for actual students in the country.”

“People aren’t aware of the Union because they don’t see any tangible benefits to it. It doesn’t do anything for them they feel is necessary or present in their day-to-day student lives, so they’re less likely to interact with it.”

Second-year Mechanical Engineering student, Max Salatta-Barnett, told The Mancunion that “the NUS will always have issue engaging students because we’re only here for 3 years, so anything you want to happen wouldn’t get implemented until we’ve left.”

Explaining why he didn’t vote, Max said: “I heard very little about it. Being in North Campus, I haven’t even seen a poster, yet alone got details about it. The only place I’d be able to get info about it would be online.”

University of Manchester student Toby Zambardino told The Mancunion that “having such a small fraction of students responding to these votes shows that students are still fairly unengaged in SU politics on the whole.”

Despite this, Toby Zambardino said: “If the student body are passionate enough about issues, I’d like to think I have reasonable faith that delegates will respond and properly represent them.”

The third-year Politics and Philosophy student said he did not vote in the elections because he thought that “the vote wasn’t publicised as an urgent or even important issue to students.”

Echoing this idea, Victoria Gosling, a first-year Politics and International Relations student who also did not vote in the elections, said that she “didn’t know anything about it or that we even had an NUS delegate.”

Emma Atkins, Students’ Union Education Officer, said the NUS delegate elections had “a really good turnout”, commenting that “more people ran for NUS delegate positions than last year, which I think shows that as a SU we have political students who want to get involved in national issues, which is great.”

Emma added: “I think it is a rare student who is engaged with NUS politics, but I think that’s totally OK. I don’t think students need to know every single thing about the NUS, they just need to know that the SU and the NUS will be there for them if they need them (i.e. they get the NUS card for discounts, use the SU advice service). I think there is a misconception that if students aren’t hyper engaged with everything then it’s a bad thing. As long as they know they are being supported behind the scenes, that’s the most important thing.”

Described by the General Secretary of the Students’ Union, Alex Tayler, as “very successful”, the elections took place alongside the Students’ Union ‘All Student Vote‘ on the composition of the SU Executive Officer team for the academic year 2018/2018, which had a turn out of 1.3 per cent.

Almost 500 animals killed a day by University of Manchester research

Written by Amy Wei on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

The University of Manchester has been found to kill more animals for scientific research than nearly all other universities in the country.

Manchester’s Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health has published data on the number of animals they used for research in 2016 in accordance with Concordat on Openness on Animal Research in the UK.

174,120 animals were experimented on throughout the year, averaging to almost 500 animals a day. All animals are killed either during experimentation or after research is completed.

The majority of tested animals were rodents. Other animals, such as sheep, fish, birds, and amphibians, were also experimented on in 2016.

Reports on current experiments have also been published. In one experiment, University researchers are creating severe burns and open wounds in 300 pigs’ backs to test “novel dressings,” to see if they reduce “abnormal pigmentation” in scars more than conventional dressings and treatment. All pigs will be killed after their wounds heal.

Another current study will take the lives of 2700 rats. Pregnant rats will be injected with agents which make them sick, have parasites inserted into their digestive systems, and be subjected to stressful situations, to investigate how brain disorders will develop in them. Afterwards, all rats will be killed.

The University of Manchester are also inducing heart failure in up to 800 sheep.

Last year, anti-vivisection organisation Cruelty Free International submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request for information on animal testing at the University of Manchester. The University did not respond, although a spokesperson for the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health said they have no record of such a request.

The University just released their 2016 figures as part of the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research in the UK. The Concordat is a commitment to be more open about the use of animals in research in the UK.

However, the University of Manchester has not published information on animal experimentation approved prior to 2014, although a spokesperson for the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health has told The Mancunion that this is available upon direct request to the department or, if the data is from before 2012, it is subject to an FOI request.

Under the online database of 2014-2016 reports, the University website reads: “Find out about our research involving animals in previous years on our data archive page.”

There is only one file on the data archive page: an infographic on animal research in 2016 (the same year the website was launched).

 

Image: The University of Manchester

When asked by The Mancunion why information on research involving animals has not been made publicly available online, a University of Manchester spokesperson stated: “The University of Manchester is committed to openness in how it conducts its research involving animals.

“When we launched our award-winning website in 2016, we were one of the first Universities to produce an infographic of our most up-to-date figures, which we are committed to doing each January when they become available.”

The University website declares that “animal welfare is a priority at The University of Manchester.” It explains: “We employ a full-time named animal care and welfare officer (NACWO).”

What it doesn’t explain is that NACWO is just a secondary title for the Deputy Director of Biological Services. When the position of Deputy Director was advertised in Summer 2017, it listed requirements that the successful applicant be an “effective communicator” and have “a high level of planning and organisational skills.”

At the very end of the job listing, it acknowledged that applicants should also have a “good working knowledge” of the Animals Scientific Procedures Act the University must adhere to.

“You will fully deputise the Director,” the job description read. “You will also be a Named Animal Care and Welfare Officer.”

116 UK organisations are now signatories of the Concordat on Openness. The ten universities which conduct the most animal testing in the UK have all released their animal experimentation figures. The University of Manchester places fourth in the top ten.

The University of Oxford conducted the most animal experiments out of all the universities, with 217,765 procedures, followed by University College London and the University of Edinburgh.

In total, 1.4 million animals were killed in 2016 by the top ten universities. They account for a third of all animal research in UK universities.

Last year, Cruelty Free International discovered some details about animal experiments taking place at universities in the UK. Some universities deprived monkeys of food and water, blasted noise at monkeys trapped in boxes, injected acid in rats’ brains to cause brain damage, and punctured pregnant sheep’s ovaries.

Two-thirds of Concordat on Openness signatories now publish some data about animal testing online.

Wendy Jarrett, Chief Executive of Understanding Animal Research, which developed the Concordat on Openness, said: “The Concordat has fostered a culture of openness at research institutions up and down the country.

“Institutions now provide an unprecedented level of information about how and why they conduct medical, veterinary and scientific research using animals.”

Enactus to host social hackathon

Written by Shivani Kaura on . Posted in News.

Enactus Manchester, a student action society, will have 11 hours (9am-8pm) to plan, design, and create models of eight social ideas which will help work towards the United Nations sustainable goals.

The objective of the event is to “spread awareness on the importance of student involvement in social responsibility” as stated by the President of the Committee, Kenji Chai. The aim is to bring together new social enterprise ideas by young entrepreneurs in Manchester and allow Enactus to “gain traction as an environment for students to improve business skills,”  leading them to expand their own networks.

The workshop will take place on Saturday the 25th of November in the Bright Building, with Professor Jonatan Pinkse hosting an ideation seminar. Each group attending the session will be asked to prepare research briefs on challenging demographics that the population of Manchester faces, such as: homelessness, elderly in Rusholme, students facing crime in Fallowfield, and marginalised low-income women in Moss Side.

Following this, charity representatives will discuss their role in the community and will work with the entrepreneurs, giving feedback, and discussing how they’ll be able to collaborate with them in the future. Finally, each group would have to present their ideas with a short Q&A to follow.

The panel of judges will be made up of three Enactus representatives, several business advisers and a university specialist in social enterprise who will discuss whether the entrepreneurs have fit the criterion they are seeking.

The grand prize will include the opportunity to showcase the project idea under Enactus and will receive a fast-track in Accelerate M-E, the nation’s first student-run startup accelerator, with the winner receiving £1,500 towards investment, mentoring, and office space.

Events like this hosted by Enactus will allow businessmen and women in Manchester the opportunity to grow socially and economically, as well as giving them a chance to tackle the current issues Manchester face.

Review: Nioh

Written by David Uncle on . Posted in Games.

I cut down samurai after samurai, ninja after ninja. My uchigatana is a whirl of death as I spin around, dismembering my unfortunate foes. And then a huge demon walks out of a doorway and kills me with one swing of his axe. This is the more-or-less the Nioh experience at its finest.

Nioh is an action-RPG produced by Team Ninja, known for the Xbox classic Ninja Gaiden. You take control of William, an Irishman who finds himself in 1600 Japan to stop the exploitation of a mystical resource called Amrita by Queen Elizabeth I to gain an upper hand in the Anglo-Spanish war. He then becomes a samurai-ninja because… Well, he’s in Japan.

Don’t worry if this has left you bewildered, I was and still am fairly perplexed by the story. The story of Nioh isn’t the most coherent and lacks the strong storytelling of the Dark Souls franchise.

Indeed, Dark Souls comparisons are all too frequent these days, yet Nioh is quite obviously inspired by FromSoftware’s hardcore RPG series, so it is fair to say Nioh is a mix between Dark Souls and Ninja Gaiden, which is by no means a bad thing. If anything, this game is actually tougher than Dark Souls in some respects.

In Nioh, combat, especially against bosses, demands rapid reflexes and patience. In Dark Souls it is possible to tank damage with a shield, and even without you can withstand a handful of hits, whereas in Nioh even the most basic enemies can end your life with two or three hits. While difficult, this results in the combat system being incredibly satisfying when you’re doing well.

In fact, Nioh’s combat is what sets it aside from other games. It has a stance system, where you can choose to have fast and weak, medium and balanced or heavy and powerful attacks, and interpreting your enemy’s movements and changing stance appropriately is what makes the combat tick.

Furthermore, while similar games have stamina, Nioh has ‘ki’. It acts almost identically to stamina, with the notable exception that if you press a button at the right time following a combo, you instantly regain the spent ki, allowing you to keep attacking. It’s similar to the quick reload feature from the Gears of War franchise.

Photo: Team Ninja

Supplementing the combat system itself is the wide variety of Japanese weaponry to choose from. Katanas, dual-katanas, axes, kusarigama, bows, flintlock rifles, and even more. Some weapons, like the katanas, are easy to pick up and use straight away, whereas the kusarigama for example takes a lot of practice to use it effectively, which makes for a fulfilling challenge.

The PC port of Nioh is a bit sloppy: It almost entirely lacks a mouse and keyboard control set, making using a controller mandatory — fortunately, I prefer to use a controller for games like this. Moreover, the graphics settings can be hit-or-miss, and I had to set the game to 1080p multiple times before it changed to my desired resolution.

In summary, Nioh makes you feel like a ninja warrior god when you succeed, before humbling you and making you want to cry with frustration when you fail. It is sincerely one of the most brutal games I have ever played, but I keep going back to it to try and try again. Its story is mostly forgettable, but its combat is truly excellent, very fun, and does indeed set it aside from Dark Souls.

7/10
Reviewed on Windows 10.

11 PM booze ban proposed for the Ancoats area

Written by Emefa Setranah on . Posted in News.

A plan to ban the sale of alcohol in licensed venues in Ancoats after 11 pm has been proposed. There will be an allowance of half an hour drinking up time afterwards.

Recent renewal in the Ancoats area of Manchester has seen small businesses and increased accommodation turn it into an urban hotspot for young professionals. This year, the Times newspaper ranked the area number two on its list of 20 coolest places to live in Britain.

The transformation of Ancoats has however been a cause for concern. Issues of anti-social behaviour and excessive noise due to the arrival of bars, restaurants and breweries are being tackled by Manchester Council.

This alcohol limitation strategy is aimed at dealing with the issues a bourgeoning nighttime economy is having in the area.

There is a copy of the policy committee report on the Manchester.gov website.  In the report, it states that the councils aim for Ancoats is: “to guide the positive regeneration of the area comprehensively and to deliver an attractive and successful residential-led neighbourhood.”

If the 11 pm ban is activated it will affect local drinking establishments the most.

In an interview with The Mancunion, Mark West, manager of popular sports bar Second City, said: “I think it will affect my business negatively, especially on weekends.”

When asked how the 11 pm ban may affect future businesses, Mark expanded, “I think we’ll end up with empty units eventually. People won’t be able to afford the area. With the licenses cut shorter I don’t think people will be able to sustain a business.”

Also voicing her concern was Megan Bews, manager of famed Ancoats pizzeria Rudy’s. The 11 pm ban does not directly affect the restaurant because it closes at 10 pm. However, Megan was still worried about the indirect effect it would have on customers. She told The Mancunion, “we won’t be taking as much money as we could on the weekends because no one will want to come down this end if everywhere is closing that early.”

She added, “Its an area that’s really up and coming and voted one of the trendiest places. I think everything closing at 11 o’clock is not living up to the reputation it wants to have.”

The booze ban is intended to be beneficial to the area’s residents. But Megan stated that she had been sent the link to a petition started up by locals to try and stop the ban.

Many residents have also been voicing their opinions online. One stated: “Licenses should be decided on a case by case basis, this blanket ban will stifle so many places from even attempting to start-up in the area.”

A different comment agreed to the ban for weekdays but stated: “I really don’t see the point on the weekend.”

Voicing an alternative opinion to Mark and Megan was Seven Brothers brewery co-founder, Keith McAvoy. In his interview with The Mancunion, Keith said, “11 pm isn’t that unreasonable to be fair.”

He continued, “It won’t affect my business greatly. We close at 11 pm every evening anyway. This is a residential area, not an overspill from the Northern Quarter. Residents in Ancoats shouldn’t have to worry whether nightclubs will be popping up next to their homes.”

The council is planning a 12 week consultation period which will end on Monday 29th January 2018. After this,  it will be decided whether the 11 pm ban will go ahead or not.

Review: Habesha

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

It isn’t often that one comes across an Ethiopian restaurant. In fact, according to Habesha they are the only one in Manchester. I nearly had as hard a time finding this restaurant as I did picturing what might be on their menu — I didn’t really know any Ethiopian food!

Tucked away behind Canal Street and accessible only via a spiral staircase in the corner of a kebab shop, Habesha offers a rare opportunity to glimpse authentic Ethiopian food. The restaurant may be more suited to the more adventurous among us.

Browsing the menu certainly takes less time than finding the restaurant, given that there is just one option under the “chicken” heading, two under “beef”, three under “lamb” and two more under “vegetarian”. This means there is a grand total of eight dishes with names such as Kitfo, Yetsom Beyaynetu, and Doro Wot. Hence why earlier I suggest the restaurant to someone more at home out of their culinary comfort zone — this is no lemon and herb Nandos.

To get a good feel for the overall quality I ordered one each of the meat dishes. The Kitfo, a minced beef dish served, as with all the dishes at Habesha, with a traditional flatbread called Injera; rich and spicy, and flavoured well with cardamom. A sort of African curry, that worked very well with the flatbread. However, the meal would have been enhanced with the introduction of rice to add a little more texture to the dish, as was probably the case for all of the dishes.

The Yebeg Wot — slow cooked lamb to you and me — was also very well spiced with an excellent kick coming from the traditional hot sauce, or berbere. It was obvious the lamb was indeed slow cooked as it almost fell apart in the process of trying to scoop it up with the Injera. The chicken dish was perhaps the worst of the three, but that is not to say it was terrible. It slightly lacked the same depth of flavour and the same punch, perhaps being designed to cater for the slightly less adventurous.

All in all I would wholeheartedly recommend Habesha to anyone who likes to experiment with food. You will have the opportunity to try a very different cuisine in a unique location, all washed down with a traditional Ethiopian lager for just £2.50 a bottle. Alternatively, if you prefer to stick to what you know then perhaps steer clear.

Recipe: Croque-Madame

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

Ingredients:

  • Two slices of crusty bread
  • Two slices of good quality ham
  • Two slices of gruyere, or similar cheese
  • Two large eggs
  • 25g butter
  • 1tbsp plain flour
  • 125ml milk
  • 1tsp wholegrain mustard
  • Salt and pepper
  • Teaspoon fresh chopped chives

Method:

  1. Preheat grill to a high heat. Begin by making a béchamel sauce. First melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat until it begins to foam and turns a slight brown. Add the flour and stir until mixed, then continue to stir and cook the flour for approximately three minutes.
  2. Gradually add the milk, adding just a little at a time and making sure it is fully incorporated to ensure no lumps form. Once all the milk is added simmer for a further five minutes until a fairly thick texture is reached. When the wooden spoon is taken out you should be able to run a finger across the middle of the spoon and the sauce should not run back into this line, it should remain clear.
  3. At this stage finish the sauce of by seasoning to taste and adding the mustard and just the egg yolk from one of the two eggs.
  4. Lightly toast the bread and butter as you would for toast. Layer the ham and cheese onto the bread before topping with the béchamel sauce. Place the slices of bread back under the grill under the béchamel begins to bubble and brown, and the cheese has melted.
  5. Fry the remaining egg in a separate pan and add to the slices of toast once they are grilled. Top with seasoning and the chopped chives.

Remembering Partition with New North South: Neha Choksi

Written by Pascale Chalmers-Arnold on . Posted in Arts.

To continue with our feature on the New North South exhibition series, we turn to Neha Choksi who has created an immersive seven-screen film installation specifically for the Manchester Art Gallery. Exploring the influence of community, it addresses the idea that to be yourself, you always need others.

In our modern world, so much information, knowledge and experience is shared through video – which positions film as an interesting medium to explore artistic concept. It would be easy to presume that because of our constant over-exposure to it, a viewer would be able to decipher meaning and intention in filmed content simply – yet with artistic film, this is often not the case. Understand the background, meaning and intention behind it, and a piece will really open up.

Faith In Friction (2017) sees Choksi explore Jain Ashram, a place of spiritual retreat, which is currently being expanded and modernised. It’s a place where people can go to escape the hubbub of normal life, just north of Mumbai in India.

The architecture of this landscape became a recurring image explored across the five projections and two monitors showing the film in the gallery. The unfinished buildings appear powerfully raw, jagged, and unnatural through the camera lens. Vast quantities of scaffolding, devoid of human presence, were elevated beyond the mundane and seemed almost symbolic of the human condition to want more than you have, and to be continually on a quest to expand and conquer.

The installation itself is a psychologically engaging investigation of what it means to be an individual, and how we can be varied depending on the different groups of people we surround ourselves with, and how they shape our personalities. A collaboration with other artists, Choksi’s piece features other notable work, including Neha Choksi and Rachelle Rojany’s Swing For Friends (2017) which was shown at the Frieze Art Fair in London.  As an act of trust in the vision of others, Choksi filmed 34 hours worth of footage, but then gave the tape to seven different editors who each made a different film using the same initial content, therein forming a community of sorts out of her solo experience.

Faith In Friction sees Choksi triumphantly construct an intellectually stimulating installation which transcends cultural borders. Sitting in that dark room, with seven screens, seven varying views of the same world – alone or accompanied – you are offered a way out of the isolation. A retreat from our sphere of influence, this piece is a must see for Mancunians.

Neha Choksi’s film installation exhibition is on at the Manchester Art Gallery from Saturday 30th September 2017 to Sunday 25th February 2018.

All Student Vote lacked face-to-face engagement

Written by Cameron Broome on . Posted in News.

The low turnout in the recent ‘All Student Vote’ was due to lack of “face-to-face engagement”, the General Secretary of the Students’ Union has suggested.

Less than 450 students voted in the ‘preferendum’ to choose new Executive Officer positions for the 2018/19 academic year.

Four options were offered in the vote: keep the same positions as they are at present, introduce a postgraduate officer, introduce an international officer, or introduce both. Voting took place alongside the Students’ Union part-time officer and NUS-delegate elections.

Alex Tayler, General Secretary of the Students’ Union, told The Mancunion: “The real issue was there wasn’t enough face-to-face engagement. We did have a stall every day of the election period but what we’re doing now is trying to engage with lots of different societies, different student groups, in a much more productive way.

“And the question will be framed around what do you want from the Union rather than what should the office positions be because people care about what the Union delivers but they don’t care as much, I don’t think, about how we’re run.”

Alex added: “I think the comms around [the vote] was actually quite good”, citing the fact that “everyone got an email, so everyone that checks their e-mails would have known about it”, adding that “there was stuff on social media.”

George Flesher, a second-year American Studies student who didn’t vote in the ‘All Student Vote’, spoke to The Mancunion and challenged this idea: “Amongst the high amount of emails we already receive in our university inboxes, it’s quite easy to mistake or overlook e-mails from the Students’ Union.

“This is especially true at times of the year such as this when everyone is looking out for e-mails from tutors about essays.”

Lawrence Rosenberg, a third-year History and Politics student successfully elected as an NUS delegate for 2017/2018,  previously told The Mancunion that he also didn’t vote in the referendum.

Lawrence said: “I didn’t even know there was an election, it wasn’t publicised nor even when I voted for NUS did I find the easy system to understand” and added that the options presented to students in the All Student Vote “just weren’t clear at all.”

Alex Tayler said that the Executive Officer team had decided to run the votes all in one go in the hope that students “wouldn’t get election fatigue.”

He said: “What basically happened was the NUS elections and the PTO elections took priority… the voting for the ‘All Student Vote’ was at the very bottom of a page of about 20 or 30 other positions, a lot of people probably got bored, realistically.”

Another referendum cannot be triggered by the Executive Officer team without the consent of Senate or a petition from 400 students to hold another vote. Alex suggested another referendum was “unlikely.”

The Executive Officer team have said that they “will be taking the result into account.”

Alex said: “Essentially, we’re going to try and put a paper together based on [a] collection of data from the student groups, workshops, and the referendum result, and put something together to present a final thing to Senate to approve on.”

 

Live Review: Cap’n Jazz

Written by Ciaran McLaughlin on . Posted in Music.

The 7th of November at Moth Club, London

Well, I’d never thought I’d see the day.  I’ve had pipe dreams about this but I never thought I’d see them come to fruition. And I don’t think either did Cap’n Jazz when they played their first show in October 1989. But after 28 years they finally made it here.

For those who are unaware, Cap’n Jazz are a highly influential Emo band. They were key figures in the 2nd wave of emo in the 90s and members went to find many other key bands such as American Football, Owls, Joan of Arc, The Promise, and Owen. They released their only album, Shmap’n Shmazz, in 1995 — just before they broke up. They played a tiny reunion gig in 2010 but for many, this is their first — and probably only — time they’ll see the band, with it being one of two only ever European shows.

Before they start there is huge anticipation. They open up to ‘Oh Messy Life’ and it slowly starts to settle in. The chorus allows the for a gateway explosion of energy as if everyone just realised that we’re finally getting to see Cap’n Jazz.

Despite being in their 40s, Cap’n Jazz still seem youthful. Vocalist Tim Kinsella has a very playful attitude. Whether he’s trying to crowd surf for the twentieth time, throwing his tambourine into the crowd again, or putting his mic through mine and 2 other people’s t-shirts, it’s all entertaining to watch. Even though these are usually the escapades of a very drunk man, it reflects the immature nature of the band perfectly.

The set is pounding and bouncy. Fans have long awaited to hear songs like ‘Basil’s Kite’ and ‘Planet SHHH’ and they don’t disappoint. The band are fully into it. Reunion shows can be hit and miss. Sometimes the band just in it for the money. But to see Cap’n Jazz fully into is undoubtedly special.

They do slow it down eventually with ‘Tokyo’. The spoken word track allows for some calm before kicking it back up again with more antics from Tim.

“This is the first song off our new album,” jokes guitarist Victor Villarreal before going into ‘Little League’. Hearing the crowd singing the bridge of ‘Little League’ while Tim crowd surfs all around the venue is quite surreal. It’s something many here would have probably guessed they would never get to see.

Then even more chaos ensues when Tim declares that he wants to perform ‘Olerud’ with his feet. Two crowd members prop Tim hold his feet up while his drummer, and young brother, Mike chuckles and asks if he is ok. It’s so intriguing to see what he’ll do next.

They power through the rest of their songs. ‘Forget Who We Are’ and ‘Que Suerte!’ are again blasts of more energetic fun before they head off for a little break.

The encore is a blast. Their cover of ‘Take On Me’ is a highlight of the whole thing with me seemingly ending up with a mic screaming the chorus while several others are on top me of me. The people are passionate and it really seals the deal.

Seeing Cap’n Jazz was everything I hoped for and more. The sweet emo vibes are still present and the fact that I also got to see them again the next night was the icing on the cake. The smaller venue helped in recreating the chaotic atmosphere that would have been seen in the 90s. This gig will be one I won’t be forgetting anytime soon and it’s nice to cross off one of Emo bands that I thought I’d never see. Now I’m just waiting on Snowing and Algernon Cadwallader.

10/10

Album Review: Converge – The Dusk In Us

Written by Ciaran McLaughlin on . Posted in Music.

2017 has been a mixed year for Metalcore. While we saw bands like Code Orange breakthrough we still saw the end of bands like The Dillinger Escape Plan and Heck. Though it’s not over yet. Genre legends, Converge, are back after five long years with their ninth album, The Dusk In Us. Was it worth the wait? Certainly.

The album is a raw fuel intense roller coaster ride which stays true to the Converge sound. The opener ‘A Single Tear’ opens with much triumph. The sharp noodling guitars slice through the track before the whole thing climaxes in the chorus. This cathartic nature is what Converge does best.

But this isn’t the full extent of Converge power either. ‘Cannibals’ is short but blistering. The violent rage is still unlike anything by any other band and it never really loses its energy or effect.

The ‘Dusk In Us’ calls back more to their Mathcore memories found on Jane Doe and You Fail Me. Don’t think this is just a repeat. Converge are experts at evolving their sound and demonstrate it here. They mix these chaotic time signatures with elements they’ve experimented with before like Sludge Metal and Post-Hardcore to craft something new.

The irregular beats in ‘I Can Tell You About Pain’ give it great weight and impact and reflect the animosity of the song. ‘Under Duress’ is another great example with its thick sludgy bass setting the stage before the whole song brutally erupts.

‘The Dusk In Us’ and ‘Thousands of Miles Between Us’ take a more ambient approach. They experiment with elements of Post Rock, creating a phantasmic mist of noise. They contrast against the harsher sound and allow those moments to punch more. ‘The Dusk In Us’ might be too long but it does have a satisfying pay off at the end when it all finally explodes.

With regards to performance and composition, the album is one of Converge’s finest. It feels so finely crafted and elegant. Whether it be the fast noodling guitars on ‘A Single Tear’ to the fast pounding drums on ‘Arkhipov Calm’ a whole range of skills are on display here by the whole band. Every little detail feels like it was placed there with care and thought making for a very slick album despite it’s violent nature.

Vocalist Jacob Bannon is outstanding as always. His ethereal screams cut through the tracks with much passion. Most Metalcore vocalists lose their sting after years of punishment on their vocal chords but he still shines after all this time.

The Dusk In Us is an exceptional album and is a welcome addition to the Converge discography. It’s thrilling, brutal, and atmospheric. Great to see them take a step back to an older sound but still make it seem fresh. Here’s hoping that it won’t be another five years for the next album, though I don’t mind if it’s as good as this.

9/10

Trade an old coat for a free pint

Written by Pierre-Leo Rouat on . Posted in News.

To help an ever-growing population of homeless people, a pub in the city centre took initiative. The “Town Hall Tavern” will organise a great charity meal on Christmas Day.

The objective would be to host 60 homeless between 3 pm and 7 pm and to let them choose dishes from the menu while enjoying live music.

The best part is that everyone can participate. In addition to the food and music, the pub is collecting coats and sleeping bags from everyone that would like to share something.

Anyone giving something to accommodate the Mancunian homeless population will get a free pint for his/her collaboration.

This charitable operation has already been conducted in Manchester in the past. A pub, the “Old Nags Head”, already opened the doors to help the homeless during the Christmas period last year.

The pub’s landlord Sean Brett stated that the event was particularly successful and that more than 300 people came to the pub to share a bit of their richness with the poorest.

The general manager of the Town Hall Tavern Sam Foster and his staff explained how they were shocked by the rise of the homeless population in Manchester.

Mr. Foster added that he was amazed last year when he noticed all the homeless population on the street during Christmas day.

Inspiring initiatives are also taking place elsewhere. In Edinburgh, a social entrepreneur, Zakia Moulaoui launched a project called “Invisible Edinburgh.”

People affected by homelessness are being trained in history and in public speaking, to become guides of the city of Edinburgh, allowing this stranded population to get a formation and a foot back in the working world.

A community project in Everton made more than 200 people sleep for a night in a park to raise awareness and funds for the homeless population of Liverpool.

Homelessness figures released by Shelter last week revealed 307,000 people are now homeless in the UK.

To support the Tavern’s effort and grab a beer, you can go (with at least an extra coat I suggest) to the Town Hall Cavern in Tib Lane, off Cross Street.

On Sunday, November 26th, the Town Hall Tavern will also host a fundraising event for its appeal, which will include live music, a raffle and stand up bingo, from 1 pm to 9 pm.

Co-written by Pierre-Leo Rouat and Youssef Bouri

Review: Only the Brave

Written by James Gill on . Posted in Film.

The Yarnell Hill Fire was the deadliest incident for US firefighters since the September 11 attacks. 19 brave men of the Granite Mountain Hotshots lost their lives protecting the homes and lives of a countless more. Joseph Kosinski, whose previous works include the innovate yet ill-received Oblivion, takes on this devastating story and the result is devastating in equal measure. Out of the 20 firefighters from the City of Prescott, Arizona who went to tackle the wildfire, only one returned.

That man, Brendan McDonough, is played by Miles Teller. The only wildfire he tackles initially is the one destroying his life. He gets kicked out of his mother’s house after a slew of bad decisions; his addiction to heroin, his arrest for theft and his discovery of an ex-girlfriend’s pregnancy. Now at rock bottom, he decides to follow the straight and narrow to support and provide for his child. The quest for employment takes him to the headquarters of the Prescott Fire Department when he hears of two open slots on their team.

McDonough’s reputation as a burnout preceded him and the firefighters almost laugh him out until the boss (Josh Brolin), known affectionately as Supe, decides to give him a chance. Although lacking the strength or stamina to keep up with the pack he eventually completes the test and gets a space in the crew. Teller’s portrayal of an addict is remarkable, showing that there is still much we haven’t seen from him.

As this arc develops we follow another simultaneously. Supe’s wife Amanda (Jennifer Connelly) wakes up to find her husband packing up his gear, the call to arms sounded, and asks to resolve their previous night’s fight before he goes. During the conversation she mentions that she has a love for lost causes. This embodies her whole story, from the broken dishwasher, to her occupation of caring for horses that would otherwise be put down, to her longing to start a family with a husband who does not share her ambition.

The theme of this lack of family and loneliness in Amanda’s life is especially evocative when juxtaposed with the brotherhood that the firefighters have. As they battle blazes the necessity of tight bonds is what keeps them alive and if just one man fails out on the line, he risks the lives of them all. Kosinski puts this love front and centre without it becoming overly macho. The banter and practical jokes never feel exaggerated and, excluding their chiseled physique, they are relatable.

One of these crew members, the principal prankster, becomes McDonough’s best friend and roommate. Taylor Kitsch who plays Chris MacKenzie does a marvellous job and frankly it’s the first role in which the character he plays is even memorable. The pseudo-homosexual relationships between the two roommates, especially when they have McDonough’s baby for the night, don’t feel out of place, rather a natural extension of their bonds.

This is the latest entry into what seems to be the latest craze sweeping Hollywood. To choose a tragedy, namely one that happens in America or to Americans, and recreate it using a lot of CGI and special effects. The market for war films seems to have diminished slightly in the past few years but producers have been quick to replace them with these. Only the Brave is a fantastic example of a tragedy film done right and regardless of slight pacing issues and an at times flat dialogue there is an underlying message that is deeply affecting, especially in the final scenes.

They are playing a dangerous game however by choosing tragedies that have occurred closer and closer to the present day. The real Yarnell Hill Fire took place in 2013 meaning it only took four more for the film to reach the cinema. Similarly the Boston Bombings happened four years ago and now has two blockbuster films about it. While this undoubtedly has something to say beyond theatrics I strongly believe making films based on events still tender in our hearts and minds is exploitative and I hope focus shifts to scripts that place those tragedies into a fictional world.

Seven-day hospital policy does not diminish weekend mortality rates

Written by Patricia Caras on . Posted in News.

A recent study published in the Emergency Medicine Journal has suggested that the costly reforms implemented by the Department of Health, in an effort to combat elevated weekend death rates, have proved unsuccessful.

The reforms were applied in the form of four clinical standards for the NHS weekend performance, after it has been determined that patients admitted to hospital on weekends experience higher mortality rates than those admitted during the week.

The NHS measures its performance against four clinical standards during the weekend: time to first consultant review, access to diagnostics, access to consultant-direct interventions, and on-going consultant review.  These have been described by the Department of Heath as “reforms that will save lives.”

However, the Emergency Medicine Journal’s study fails to ascertain any correlation between their implementation and the consistently elevated weekend death rates.

Dr Rachel Meacock from The University of Manchester centre for Health Economics has stated that the NHS has rushed to fix a perceived problem that it does not fully understand. She pointed towards the lack of evidence suggesting an existent link between mortality rates and lack of extra service provisions for the weekend. Indeed, previous research indicated that the higher mortality rates on the weekends are mainly due to the patients admitted at the time being sicker.

The findings have raised concerns over the fiscal management of the NHS. The failed policy is believed to have caused up to £1.4 billion to be miss-allocated  during a time of uncertainty in regards to government funding.

Professor Matt Sutton from The University of Manchester centre for Health Economics believes that reforms involving the imposition of blanket standards on doctors at certain times will limit the ability to prioritise certain patients, whom according to professional judgement may be in more direct need compared to others. Ultimately he believes this has the potential to result in more harm for other patients.

The dark side of being an angel

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

 

Photo: victoriassecret@instagram

Now that November is in full swing, many wait in anticipation for one of the biggest events of the fashion calendar, the Victoria’s Secret fashion show. This year, the show, hosted in Shanghai, is scheduled for the 20th of November and will be broadcast on the 28th of November.  Since the list of models was released in September, the show has been hailed as more “diverse than ever.”

Last year, the show hosted in Paris only featured four Asian models out of 50, that’s just eight per cent representation, yet for Victoria’s Secret this was still record-breaking when compared to their previous figures. In total there were only 30 per cent of models from diverse backgrounds that walked in the show

By these figures, the brand has certainly made inroads into creating a more diverse show with this year’s lineup featuring 50 per cent of models from a racially diverse background. The show has still certainly got a long way to go to be fully representative, but at least in this instance we can see progression.

This year will see VS veterans return to the runway, such as Alessandra Ambrosio, Adriana Lima, Karlie Kloss plus insta models Gigi and Bella Hadid. The show also welcomes newcomers, including Grace Bol, Estelle Chen and Alecia Morais to name a few. As always the show is set to be a massive hit, especially because of the positive press it is currently receiving thanks to its tagline: ‘the most diverse show yet.’

Yet VS are no strangers to controversy, especially when it comes to appropriating different cultures. 2012 was a particularly controversial year for the brand with their show receiving a huge backlash for sending Karlie Kloss down the runway in Native American inspired lingerie, complete with a sacred headdress. The reaction from the general public led to Kloss being cut from the airing of the show on television. In the same year, the brand was forced to pull their collection entitled ‘Sexy Little Geisha.’ Model Candice Swanepoel fronted the campaign wearing a mesh teddy with an ‘exotic’ floral print, complete with chopsticks in her hair, a fan and a removable obi belt.

Rightly so the brand received outraged reactions that they had essentially reduced Eastern culture to the stereotype of exotic sexuality, so too with the appropriation of Native American culture, by incorporating the sacred headdress into a sexy lingerie outfit. But hey, this year Victoria’s Secret is more racially diverse than ever, so maybe this can all be forgotten?

Whilst it may be commendable that VS finally ‘got the memo’ that its 2017 and devised a racially diverse runway show accordingly, the same cannot be said for the representation of women who do not fit into the narrow bracket of a size eight and under. Once again there is set to be a complete disregard for models that are ‘plus-sized’ with all the models having the same slim, gym-honed physique. The VS models are stunning, there is no question about it, and they clearly spend hours working out to attain their enviable figures. They deserve to showcase their bodies with pride but then so do models who are larger than size eight as well.

The VS models are dubbed ‘angels’, they are considered to be the elite of all the models. These are the women we should aspire to be because they are the absolute ideal of feminine beauty, according to VS casting agents anyway. The term ‘angels’ is problematic in itself, suggesting exclusivity and giving them a higher status than all the other regular models in the industry.

The message that the show sends out is largely negative, it dictates what the brand’s idea of female beauty is and is far from representative of how the majority of women look. Their message of what constitutes beauty rings loud and clear, if you ever want to be an ‘angel’ you must be super slim (size eight and under), tall and of course exceptionally beautiful.

However, the reason why VS have thus far neglected to represent plus-sized women in their shows is partly due to the fact that the largest size in their bra range is a DDD. The limited sizes mean that many girls with larger breasts can’t find a bra that fits. With the lack of a plus-sized range it is no surprise that models such as Ashely Graham and Robyn Lawley have not yet been granted their angel wings, VS just don’t cater for these women.

It’s disappointing that a huge brand such as Victoria’s Secret has completely rejected having a more inclusive line of lingerie and has failed to use their status and influence as a worldwide corporation to spread the message that all women of different shapes and sizes are beautiful.

So whilst this year might be their most diverse ever, Victoria’s Secret still has a long way to go if they truly want to be representative and use their platform on the world stage to encourage body positivity and empower all women. Perhaps in the coming years the brand will finally acknowledge beauty in all its forms and create a range that is tailored for all women, but for now, we probably shouldn’t hold our breath.

Bruntwood Prize Ceremony 2017

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Theatre.

1,898 plays, 100 dedicated readers, 8 judges, 6 winners.

The Bruntwood Prize has been inspiring the creation of new theatre since 2005. It invites anyone — and everyone — to have a good go at writing a play. People are able to submit anonymously — a wonderful consideration for both the first time and practised writer — and are considered for a part of the £40,000 prize fund — and, more importantly, the opportunity for it to become a live theatre production.

Usually, upon entering the Exchange’s “spaceship” (in other words, a futuristic in the round theatre), one expects transportation to anywhere on the planet for an hour or two in the company of compelling and complex characters. The Bruntwood Prize ceremony was no different.

The organisers ensured that this theatre remains what it always has been, a playground. The extracts performed from the eight shortlisted plays performed were phenomenal. The content ranged from a man leaving for life on Mars, to a restaurant teeming with international relations. It is due to the quality of the acting company and the scripts themselves that the stage could so quickly become tense, hilarious, thought-provoking, and, most of all, thrilling to watch.

The winner of this year’s overall prize is Heartworm by Timothy X Atack. The extract from his piece was wonderfully weird and in its short introduction, he claimed that it gets more so as the play goes on. Our short exposure to the characters established that the work has a strong grasp on humour and that Tim is skilled in revealing a character’s opinion without revealing a character’s opinion.

He said to me after winning that ‘[he] wrote this to be like a dream’ and that he had considered it being too out there for the Bruntwood prize. Nevertheless, he has entered the competition five times: proving that creativity and tenacity are a winning combination. Be sure not to miss Heartworm when it appears onstage. It is to be produced by the  Royal Court and the Royal Exchange in the near future.

The atmosphere after the ceremony was that of imagination. The room became saturated with conversation as soon as we entered it. Amongst the excitement, I had the chance to speak with panel member Russell T Davies. He explained that he was very quick to take up Bruntwood on their offer when they asked for him to be involved. Upon mention of the difference between theatre and television — a somewhat calculated medium — Russell remarked that “in theatre, anything can happen.”

Many people know that to create theatre is to create magic. And if anything supports and inspires these hidden magicians, it’s Bruntwood.

Album Review: Sam Smith – The Thrill Of It All

Written by Charlie Maudsley on . Posted in Music.

Although full of modest production and slow pace, Sam Smith’s sophomore album The Thrill of It All still manages to deliver the soulful vocals and powerful delivery that fans fell in love with after the release of his first effort In the Lonely Hour.

Perhaps what is most notable upon the album’s release is its lack of tracks with potential radio airplay. Of course, the lead single ‘Too Good at Goodbyes’ had notable success after topping the UK chart back in September, yet in comparison to the colossal hit ‘Stay with Me’, the single hasn’t seen half as much global impact. But for Smith, this doesn’t seem to be such a concern with The Thrill of It All. For the most part, the album offers a more mature, cohesive sound for the Grammy-winning singer that puts less focus on the single but more on the project as a whole.

Having said this, there are moments where Smith narrowly escapes the repetitive and almost tedious traps that are so easy to fall into with his musical style. With tracks such as ‘Nothing Left For You’, Smith almost slips into the same melody that we saw in his 007 track ‘Writings On The Wall’ which, although still good, becomes a little tiresome.

Nevertheless, the saving grace of this album lies within tracks such as the promotional single ‘Pray’. With the unlikely influence of hip-hop producer Timbaland, the pair managed to create the gospel-inspired track which is a definite highlight of the album, as we see the singer expressing his belief in religion or lack thereof. A common theme throughout The Thrill of It All sees Smith tackle his faith with his sexuality, and ‘Him’ is an unambiguous example of this. With the title itself a nod to spiritual hymns, it only seems fitting that the song incorporates a mounting gospel choir as (perhaps controversially, bearing in mind the religious undertones of the song) the singer confesses his love for another man.

Generally speaking, Sam Smith has created a well-rounded, cohesive album with The Thrill of It All. Admittedly, a handful of songs are in danger of being a little too similar, but his undeniably powerful voice and soulful delivery give Smith a well-earned pass.

7.5/10