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Year: 2017

Review: Moonlight

Written by Imran Bukhari on . Posted in Film.

In one of the stand-out moments of Moonlight there is a defining conversation that takes place between two characters. Having spent a decade apart, Kevin (André Holland), looks inquisitively upon his long-lost friend Chiron and asks “Who is you?” Chiron (Trevante Rhodes), replies unconvincingly with “I’m me”. This brief exchange encapsulates the theme of Moonlight; an exploration of one’s life long search to find their true self. Moonlight chronicles Chiron’s evolution by splitting his life story into three distinct chapters.

i. Little

ii. Chiron

iii. Black

Each chapter heading refers to a different name given to the film’s central protagonist. In the first chapter, a nine year old Chiron is derogatorily referred to as “Little” by his schoolmates. His lack of friends and exclusion for being different define the early stages of his life. With a drug addicted mother, Chiron finds an unlikely father figure in Mahershala Ali’s Juan. Despite being a drug dealer, Juan cares more for Chiron’s well-being than his mother Paula. He imparts critical wisdom upon Chiron stating “You got to decide for yourself who you’re going to be” which harks back to the film’s central message of self-discovery. Ali is magnetic as Juan and creates a vivid and complex character with minimal screen-time; one who has to come to grips with his own survival causing the destruction of others. Moonlight is intent on breaking down stereotypes and conveying a truth seldom found in film.

The second chapter hurdles seven years forward, and the bullying inflicted on Chiron has infinitely worsened. The title ‘Chiron’ illustrates Chiron’s desire to be who he really is and to not have to suppress his basic desires. Life at home has also deteriorated, as Paula’s cocaine fuelled descent is harrowingly brought to life by an excellent Naomie Harris. Moonlight is based on the play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue but for director Barry Jenkins, whose own mother was a crack addict, Paula’s arc resembles a highly personal struggle.

The closing chapter sees Chiron ten years later; his muscular growth has changed him into a hulking figure of quiet intimidation, thus challenging the preconceived notions of masculinity. In order to be accepted, Chiron has learnt he must adapt to fit the exterior world. Now going by the name ‘Black’, echoing a nickname given to Chiron by Kevin, their reunion and rediscovery is where Moonlight truly excels. This is due to the emotional intimacy and resonance brought to the film by Holland and Rhodes. Holland conveys a confident charm to Kevin while also suggesting the weariness of a man who has made many mistakes. Rhodes is the third actor to portray Chiron in succession and what he accomplishes with half the dialogue of his co-stars is phenomenal. Despite a dramatic off screen transformation, his subtle expressions enable the audience to still see the ‘Little’ boy in the depths of his eyes.

Moonlight is a beautiful film to behold, as Jenkins bathes the film with stunning imagery. Miami itself feels like a character, coming to life at night, drenched in neon and with an ethereal quality thanks to the titular moonlight. The film further creates its own signature style with an eclectically diverse soundtrack; ranging from orchestral pieces to modern hip-hop. As a delicately understated and compassionate portrayal of homosexuality within the African-American community; Moonlight illuminates a subject matter rarely seen on screen. There is no doubt this is a film for the LGBT community and a film for the black community. However Moonlight will also resonate with anyone who has had a past love linger in their memories and throughout their life, which truthfully makes Moonlight a film for everyone.

5/5

Manchester Science Festival 2017 announces first headliner

Written by Aliya Ismangil on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

The Manchester Science Festival, organised by the Manchester Science and Industry Museum, marks its 11th year running in 2017. Last year, the event garnered a record 136,000 attendees, and highlights included the Chronarium sleep lab in the Arndale and a performance by Public Service Broadcasting. This year, once again, the festival is not to be missed, and the first headliner has just been announced.

Robots features an exclusive collection of over 100 humanoid robots, and this unique exhibition will come to Manchester on October 19th later this year as part of the Manchester Science Festival. Spanning a history of 500 years, the exhibition will present a plethora of machines; a 16th-century automaton monk, a replica of the robot in Fritz Lang’s ‘Metropolis’, the first bipedal robots, and Japan’s Kodomoroid communication android. Visitors will have the opportunity to gain insights into current robotic research and how scientists are creating robots that act and behave like humans. There will also be a chance for visitors to share their own views on what the robot landscape will look like in the future.

Currently open to the public at the Science Museum in London, “this exhibition explores the uniquely human obsession of recreating ourselves, not through paint or marble but in metal,” says Ian Blatchford, director of the Science Museum Group. “Seeing robots through the eyes of those who built or gazed in awe at them reveals much about humanity’s hopes, fears and dreams.”

Photo: Museum of Science & Industry

Antonio Benitez, Director of the Manchester Science Festival, shared his excitement at the first announced headliner: “This exhibition will be an extraordinary opportunity for our audiences to explore the ways robots mirror humanity and the insights they offer into our ambitions, desires and position in a rapidly changing world.”

You can find out more about Manchester Science Festival on their website and follow their upcoming announcements on Twitter and Facebook.

Learn your lesson: Forget exam results

Written by Cachella Smith on . Posted in Lifestyle.

Everyone argues that January and February are the most unpleasant months of the year, but for students it’s even worse. Returning back to university, rather frazzled, after a long stretch of too much food combined with too much revision, we are thrown headfirst into the hell that is exam period. Now that we’ve all come out the other side, you would have thought things would start to look up, but instead we continue plodding forward, straight into semester two. Tiredness certainly is an issue, but more than that, the disconcerting idea that we are working towards the next set of exams when we don’t yet know the results from the last, is playing on everyone’s minds.

There are, however, a few things we can do to make this period slightly easier for ourselves. Firstly it’s so important to take regular breaks — this is a well-known study tip, but at the moment I’m talking about significant periods of time. Remember you’re only in the early stages of semester two; it’s okay to use your frees to take a coffee break instead of being curled up in Ali G. Keeping going is not always the most effective option.

Dealing with the unknown is difficult. Perhaps you could try to help yourself by setting up an action plan for all eventualities. Speak to your lecturers and to your Academic Advisor to find out about your options. Having them clear in your head now will make results day that little bit less daunting. Also, introduce the subject of exams to your parents, let them know how you are feeling about your results — this way it won’t be as intimidating to tell them later on if you haven’t done as well as you hoped.

Having said all that, try to forget that you’ve just done exams. It’s a cliché, but there is literally nothing you can do now. It would be much more useful to focus your attention on your next set of modules, the results of which you do have control over. As for the previous results, there will always be options to deal with them if they’re not what you were hoping for. Don’t forget, that whatever year you are in, the exams you have just taken will not entirely determine what degree you achieve.

There are also some more specific things you could be doing if you are finding this period particularly difficult. Although the deadline for mitigating circumstances has now passed in most faculties, Student Support can still offer you guidance for exams you will take in the future. Getting in touch with them now ensures you will receive as much support as you can before entering the summer examination period. If there was something particularly difficult in the exam that you did not understand — speak to a lecturer, especially if the same thing is likely to come up in future modules. It doesn’t matter that the exam is finished, the reason you are at university is to learn. Although marks are important, if you can get to the end of your final year knowing that you have learnt something, you will have succeeded however well you have done in exams.

Italy’s national prospects are growing with the re-emergence of Serie A

Written by Magnus Henderson on . Posted in Sport.

One of the most marmite aspects of modern football is the ‘player comparison’ trend. Jamie Redknapp is the biggest culprit out of all the cliché-obsessive pundits gracing our televisions, describing Dele Alli as “the next Steven Gerrard”. Obviously the Tottenham youngster has the potential to reach the calibre of Gerrard, but he looks nothing like the Liverpudlian legend in terms of play style or individual strengths. Memphis Depay was not “the next Cristiano Ronaldo”, Antony Martial will not be “the next Thierry Henry” and Reece Oxford will not be “the next Rio Ferdinand”.

Despite the clear inaccuracies in this habit, it is stil exciting and interesting to explore the “what if?” of youngsters, especially when they have particular traits relatable to the footballing gods who have come before them. Many of the youngsters exploding onto the stage this campaign are in Italy’s Serie A, where the likes of AC Milan, Fiorentina and others are promoting the next generation of Italian superstars.

It has been clear for a number of years now that the Serie A is not what it once was. While the Italian top division used to be graced with the likes of Ronaldo and Maradonna, now Carlos Bacca and Gonzalo Higuaίn are the star strikers; a notable downgrade. The former giant clubs, AC Milan and Inter Milan, have languished in mid-table since the former lost Zlatan Ibrahimović and the latter lost José Mourinho.

However, this season has seen an upturn in quality, most notable from the fact that Juventus have not walked to the title already. Napoli and Roma have looked unplayable at times this season and are giving the Old Lady a few things to think about. The Campanian trident of Dries Mertens, José Callejón and Lorenzo Insigne have illustrated attacking capability on a similar level to Barcelona’s famous front three, and the Capital’s club have fully exploited Edin Džeko’s talents to put themselves third in the table. The Milan clubs too, despite showing major inconsistencies, have improved this season with AC filtering through some very promising talent, and Inter splashing the cash due to new Chinese investment.

The real winners of the Serie A season so far has been the Italian national team. During Euro 2016, Antonio Conte took Italy’s tattered squad past Spain’s technical team and only lost in the quarter finals to Germany on penalties, which, as Gary Lineker once stated, is one of the “inevitabilities of football”. Despite doing so well, Italy’s squad last summer was one of the worst group of players that they had banded together in decades, and Conte overachieved with the ability at his disposal.

Donnarumma @WikimediaCommons

One of the more well-known talents to emerge is the gargantuan Gianluigi Donnaruma. The AC Milan goalkeeper has made it to 50 appearances for his club this season, at just 17 years of age. Obvious comparisons have been made between Donnaruma and the aging Juventus legend, Gianluigi Buffon. The narrative was further exploited when Donnaruma made his debut for Italy, replacing Buffon against Spain in September. The young goalkeeper has a huge career ahead of him and is already being groomed as the successor of one of the best goalkeepers in recent history.

Also at AC Milan are the Italian prodigies Manuel Locatelli and Alessio Romagnoli. The former, Italy’s newest regista, plays as a destructive midfielder with an eye for a ‘thunderbastard’, as can be seen with his two strikes this season against Sassuolo and Juventus. Romagnoli, on the other hand, is cut from the same cloth of the Old Lady’s Georgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Barzagli, a hard centre back with the ability to play the ball out of the defence.

Further bolstering Italy’s defensive prospects is Juventus’ Daniele Rugani. While the 22 year old has struggled for game time with such immense quality in front of him in the pecking order, the potential is visible from his composure and capability to slot in and adequately fill the boots of one of Chiellini, Bonucci or Barzagli. The prospect has started eight games and scored three goals.

Photo: Gagliardini @WikimediaCommons

In an attacking capacity, Italy have struggled to rely on a single forward since Mario Balotelli went awol, and Circo Imobile and Graziano Pellè consistently fail to achieve. Step forward Torino striker Andrea Belotti. The ‘number 9’ is renowned for his all-round ability, scoring four headed goals as well as five left footed strikes and six right footed. At just 23 years old, if Belotti keeps improving at the same rate Italy could have one of the best European strikers leading their line.

On the wings, Fiorentina possess two of Italy’s most promising wide men in recent years, Bernardeschi and Chiesa Federico. The former, and more established of the two, has carried on his fine growth this season, capable of playing anywhere across the front three and grabbing an impressive haul of nine goals and four assists in 21 appearances. Chiesa, on the other hand, made his breakthrough this season and has proved a useful squad player filling in anywhere on the right side. The 19 year old’s quick feet and ability to go past a player are his most notable features. Two goals and one assist in six starts is a decent return.

The final, and most recent, prodigy to come out of the Serie A this season is Roberto Gagliardini at Inter Milan. Not only does Gagliardini have a fantastic name but his primary function of breaking up play from the base of midfield is impressive too. His presence in Inter’s midfield has seen the Nerazzurri go on the best run of form in the Serie A this season.

While the Italian domestic league still may be way behind the likes of England, Spain and Germany, there is an impetus of growth and promise in the league which has not been apparent for a long time now.

Student Spotlight: Off The Record

Written by Harrison Kersey on . Posted in Music.

This week, as part of The Mancunion Music’s ongoing Student Spotlight feature, showcasing the finest in student-led nightlife, we present Off the Record, a crew of Leeds boys who’ve been bringing the good times to club nights and house parties for a couple of years now. The Mancunion spoke to Matt to find out what it is that makes their nights stand out from the tech-house crowd.

“At an Off the Record night we aim to provide the all-round experience, from groovier cuts through to techno slammers. We’ve been influenced by a range of sounds, including labels such as Innervisions, Dixon Avenue Basement Jams and Aus Music”

The Off the Record team even bagged hosting duties for the Aus label’s 10 year anniversary party at Manchester’s newly opened Dolphin Warehouse, an impressive booking for any promoter, let alone a crew of first and second-year students fresh from throwing house parties & nights at Fallowfield stomping ground Koh Tao not long before. Matt tells us why, despite the step up in pressure, the OTR boys prefer playing from a booth than from a living room:

“With a club night, the main reason people are there is for the music and to get down, so you feel more of an obligation to make sure everything’s on point. Plus, with better sound and lighting than most house parties can offer, the overall experience of a proper venue edges it as far as I’m concerned.”

With a strong history of residents’ parties, Off the Record are quite happy to spin back to back with each other all night, bouncing off each other’s selections. However, come this Thursday at the newly revamped Joshua Brooks basement (complete with new Void sound system), they’ll be playing host to a killer pair of DJs. First up, Al Zanders brings an eclectic, genre-spanning approach to his own productions, and as a resident for Banana Hill you can be sure this will extend to his set. Big Miz, a rising star on Glasgow’s Dixon Avenue Basement Jams label, promises to bring a grittier sound, with his hard-nosed take on house music. Check out standout tracks from each of them below:

Al Zanders – Second to None:

Big Miz – Good Thing:

With a freshly decked out basement to check out and a banging lineup to boot, Thursday 9th of February looks set to be a night to remember. Tickets are available on Skiddle.

Interview: Tegan and Sara

Written by Cassie Hyde on . Posted in Music.

Having released their eighth album, Love You To Death, last year, Tegan and Sara have been working as performers together since 1997. When I asked Sara Quin was it like being in a band for 20 years, she laughs: “Well, you know, it’s strange because we’ve actually crossed an interesting threshold in the last year or two, where we’ve actually been in the band longer than we have not been in the band. I don’t actually know what else to say except that. It’s sort of hard to untangle all of it. … I think because the band is us and is both personal and professional, it probably takes up more time than other people’s jobs and other people’s bands because we are forced to think about it any time we’re together.”

So, since she wasn’t here, what’s Tegan like to work with? “As we’ve gotten further into our career, it’s really collaborating with other people that has allowed me to be more aware of how me and Tegan collaborate. Before, it was something very intuitive, it just sort of happened naturally, but as I branch out and Tegan branches out and works independent of me, I find myself thinking ‘Oh! These are the skills and approaches I bring to the band…’ There’s something very impulsive about her, she’s a very straightforward writer. She sort of uses her feelings, whilst I use my head a lot more.”

The new album, Love You To Death, is produced by Greg Kurstin, who’s previously worked with Adele, Katy Perry, Ellie Goulding and Sia, to name a few. When asked what he was like to work with, Sara said: “For us, there was no question that he was going to be a powerhouse and bring a lot to the table as a producer, but I think what we immediately connected to was his personality. He’s very strange, he’s really funny and he’s very hands on. In our experience, it’s just the three of us, so there aren’t a bunch of people around. It’s a very insular experience, it really appeals to us. I think, because he has this really strange sense of humour, he can take himself seriously, but can also laugh at the spectacle of it all and how crazy this industry is. So we really get along, I adore him! I think he’s wonderful!”

So what did they bring to the table on the new album? What were their influences going in? “We both listen to a lot of stuff and I think that’s a deliberate choice, partly because a lot of our instincts as writers and even subconscious choices that come out in our music, they sort of come from the early music we listened to. I think marrying that with what is happening currently is a good thing. I don’t like the idea of being an electro band, I read a lot in the press people referencing that it’s very obvious that we have a very 80s, 90s influence, which is true and certainly is purposeful those sounds and those keyboards, I hope that people also hear how we are sort of re-framing it in a more modern context, and hopefully not just seeming like an a-ha cover band or something,” she laughs, “I want people to see that we’re actually trying to think of a new way to hear that music.”

Tegan and Sara have also made a music video for every song on Love You To Death. Sara told us, “the idea of doing a video for every song on the record was born out of the experience that the record company provided an appropriate amount of music for our band size for what will like be one, maybe two videos, that would be representative of the singles. I think we just had an intuition that this wasn’t going to be one of those records where there wasn’t going to be one song that everyone focused on. So, we decided to take the budget for those two singles and spread it out over the 10 songs. I feel happy with it – it was a creative, collaborative process and we used it as an opportunity to work with people who wouldn’t usually be considered as video directors. For ‘White Knuckles’, we worked with a choreographer, with ‘100x’, we worked with an artist who also happens to have a very successful dog grooming business. We wanted to stretch to envelop different kinds of artists and creative thinkers and visual people, so it was really fun for us!”

On a more serious note, Tegan and Sara have been openly gay since the start of their career and have always put their activism at the forefront of their work. So, last December, they set up the Tegan and Sara Foundation, which “works for economic justice, health, and representation for LGBTQ girls and women”.

“As our career has developed, I think there has been an effort to be more strategic about how we are working and interfacing with other organisations. So, instead of being like, ‘Oh my God! This is very upsetting to us! Everyone pay attention!’, we started thinking about how be a part of, not just education or amplification of issues in the LGBT community, but purposely bring[ing] funding and money and research to parts of our community who are often under focused on. Right now, we see that as being lesbians and trans women, specifically women of colour.”

“We’re looking at launching actual programmes in the next 6-9 months. We’ve actually had a heavy education period, so we’ve been meeting with economists and professors, grassroots organisers in The United States and Canada, making sure that we are clear about our agenda and where our efforts would be most meaningful.”

Love You To Death is out now on Warner Brothers. Tegan and Sara are performing at The Albert Hall, Manchester on February 14th.

Live: Psappha play Maxwell Davies and John Horne

Written by Hugh Morris on . Posted in Music.

23rd January at Hallé St. Peters

8/10

The late Sir Peter Maxwell Davies spoke of the “honour to have one’s music performed by an ensemble who understand it intimately”.  An artistic inspiration for Psappha, the programming of some of his finest chamber works was a poignant reminder of how well they understand this music, and how sorely he will be missed both in Manchester and beyond.

The opening concert of Psappha’s 25th Anniversary Season should have been (and, to its credit, was) a celebratory occasion for those involved in the mightily successful project involved in bringing professional contemporary classical music to Greater Manchester.

And yet, David Horne, whose commission Resonating Instruments was given its world premiere alongside two pieces by Maxwell Davies, alluded to his sadness at memories of his last encounter with ‘Max’ being on that very stage.

The performance outlined the importance of the wider, non-musical experience in contemporary music, a tenet executed superbly throughout. The intimate yet flexible performing space of Hallé St Peter’s combined with dramatic lighting to aid the more atmospheric and theatrical parts of the programme, particularly in the first piece, Maxwell Davies’ Stedman Doubles, a piece once labelled ‘unplayable’.

The members of Psappha certainly demonstrated the gulf in class between themselves and the intended performers sixty years ago, conveying a hugely assured performance. Led by clarinetist Dov Golberg, the piece opens with a restrained, understated woodwind line, eventually accompanied by 3 percussionists, progressing through a series of edgy soundscapes.

Similar music is often scoffed at for being too extreme, but, in the case of Stedman Doubles, any extremity was replaced with the feeling of stillness and situation, the piece being based on the principles of Indian raga improvisation. The contrast in quiet dynamics (the final clarinet swell in particular) was thrilling, even if generally, some more overstated passages could have articulated the three section work more clearly.

Writing for cimbalom is a medium few British composers have experimented with, yet David Horne told of his fascination of an Eastern European instrument that Stravinsky included in Les Noces and that Zoltan Kodaly wrote extensively for in his famous suite Háry János.

Resonating Instruments is a twenty-minute concerto for cimbalom, accompanied by violin, cello, flute and clarinet. The piece explores the untapped timbres of the instrument, beginning with a dark, almost submerged impression, before gradually ascending through the instrument’s range. If Stedman Doubles was understated, the repetitions needed to sustain the cimbalom’s strings made Resonating Instruments anything but, with the string dynamics and expansion of register from a fixed point mirroring the techniques heard in the solo instrument.

Many of the aspects of the piece came off in performance very well indeed. The contrasting use of mallets and beaters, and the muting of strings brought out even more interesting colours. There were lovely pairings of lines too; delightful duets came from the unlikely sources of bass flute and bass clarinet. The only downside of this was that the pairings of strings, winds and keyboards reduced the impact of the solo cimbalom, played wonderfully by Psappha’s Artistic Director, Tim Williams.

To think that Eight Songs for a Mad King is almost twice the age of Psappha is a strange thought indeed, yet nobody could deny its performance was the reason a sizeable amount of the audience were present. The piece, premiered in 1969, follows the famous tale of George III and his descent into madness, and is a classic in the repertoire.

Kelvin Thomas reprised the role of the King, a role which he has played on tour with Psappha and in the video recording of 2013. As a visual spectacle, the drama was enticing. Thomas obviously loves the role of the Mad King, yet there was enough freshness to make the piece’s famous moments, such as the dialogue between the King and the ‘bullfinch’ part (and the smashing of the violin), unexpected even for audience members who had listened before.

The piece features the Schoenberg-influenced Sprechstimme technique, placing the voice somewhere between speaking and singing; this technique was lost at some points by Thomas; his 2013 recording conveys the linear regression of the character to his eventual death more vividly through the continued use of that specific extended technique.

Maxwell Davies’ humour was placed excellently however; the Handelian references, the ‘Country Dance’ foxtrot and harpsichord interludes fed into a very well-staged, characterful performance. The level of understanding of what Max really wanted is without comparison in any other group.

Is it okay to punch a Nazi?

Written by David Moseley on . Posted in News, Opinion.

While the sight of a white nationalist taking a sucker-punch to the face is probably what we all needed to get us through these tough times, we should be more critical of violent acts.

The video of white nationalist and Alt-Right leader Richard Spencer receiving a blow to the side of the head was a welcome sight for many. On Inauguration Day, Spencer was interviewed on a street corner explaining the significance of his Pepe the Frog pin when a masked figure blundered into the frame and landed a solid hit the suited neo-Nazi’s face.

The brief clip was immediately swallowed by the internet and, as one might expect, regurgitated in the form of various cuts and remixes. You can watch Richard Spencer punched in the face set to Phil Collins’ ‘In the Air Tonight’ or to Disney’s ‘Let it Go’. You can even watch Richard Spencer punched in the face set to Celine Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On’, which is a personal favourite. As former speech-writer for Obama, Jon Favreau tweeted, “I don’t care how many different songs you set Richard Spencer being punched to, I’ll laugh at every one.”

But amongst the cathartic release of the reviled Alt-Right leader being force-fed a fist, a more philosophical strain of conversation arose in the Twittosphere: the question being “is it okay to punch a Nazi?”

The obvious, and popular, answer seems to be an emphatic ‘yes’. Many have noted that punching Nazis is a time-honoured tradition in the US. Indiana Jones and Captain America number among pop culture icons who are renown for punching Nazis, or ‘fash-bashing’. One Twitter-user noted: “You know what WWII was? America collectively punching the Nazis”. Indeed, if confronted with, say, Hitler or an SS guard or an Imperial Storm Trooper, most of us would probably duff them on the nose — if not worse. It stands to reason that our response to a modern day Nazi would be the same.

If we accept that it is okay to punch Nazis, we are left with another difficult question: how do we decide who the Nazis are? In the case of Richard Spencer, the answer is quite definitive. He, of course, denies being a neo-Nazi, claiming that Nazism was specific to Germany in the 1930s and ‘40s. However, he chairs the National Policy Institute, a white nationalist think-tank based in Virginia which has run blog pieces such as ‘The Jewish Question And Some Answers’, in which the author claims “Jews have been pioneers of what has been termed ‘anti-Semitism’.” His position, as stated in a National Policy Institute column, has a certain Nazi-esque flavour: “Martin Luther King Jr., a fraud and degenerate in his life, has become the symbol and cynosure of White Dispossession and the deconstruction of Occidental civilization. We must overcome!”

He is also credited with coining the term ‘Alt-Right’ to describe the emerging extreme right wing populist movement in the US. Spencer has also called for ‘peaceful ethnic cleansing’ in order to maintain European heritage. He may not be a German National Socialist, but whichever you cut it his views smack of Nazi-ness.

Since Spencer conforms to the broad definition of Nazi, one may be excused for punching him in the face. Unfortunately, it isn’t always so easy to agree on an answer to the question; one person’s Nazi is another’s  freedom fighter, is another’s feminist, is another’s Obama. How can we decide whether or not it is okay to punch someone, if we can’t even work out which people we should be punching?

Socking a Nazi, then, is not always very pragmatic. It may also be damaging to the cause of fighting Nazism. On mic.com, ethicists and academics of political activism were asked for their opinion on the all-consuming “punch a Nazi” debate. Nitzan Lebovic, an academic of Holocaust Studies and Ethical Values, drew on the tradition of fascists justifying the expansion of their power on the basis that they have been attacked: “In any of the cases I know, it plays right into the hands of the regime, and is used as an excuse to harshen punitive measures against critics.” Unfortunately, attacking Nazis physically only contributes to a persecution complex, and deepens their sense of being wronged by the system.

Violence also has a nasty habit of begetting more violence. Even if it is morally defensible to punch a Nazi, and we are sure that they are indeed a Nazi, there’s a chance that they will punch back. It is likely that this will deteriorate into a fight where the person with the biggest stick wins, regardless of whether your initial sucker-punch was ethical or not.

Perhaps the whole fash-bashing debate is completely inane. Why, after all, should we second guess leathering someone with views as abhorrent as Richard Spencer? On the other hand, it raises the wider question of whether violence has a place in the political discourse of our liberal democracies. We would be wise to think twice before condoning acts of violence.

Nevertheless, if you yourself are not a white supremacist, watching one take a hit to the tune of ‘My Heart Will Go On’ will brighten your lunch break — just make sure the guy is definitely a Nazi before you bloody your knuckles.

The Premier League’s international inspirations

Written by Dane Massey on . Posted in Sport.

Every manager has their own style of play, and the Premier League’s top six teams are guided in opposing ways by some of the world’s most well-renowned coaches. The same applies in the international game, with certain teams playing contrasting styles of play to others. There are some parallels between club and international football, with certain club teams adopting several characteristics of various international teams.

But how do England’s top six mirror certain international teams? And, which international team does each club match up to?

Chelsea – Italy
Under the guidance of Antonio Conte, Chelsea are taking the Premier League by storm this season, combining solid defence with ruthless attack. After managing Juventus and Italy, Conte developed a distinct team structure, which has featured three at the back.

He has implemented a similar system at Chelsea, who have the best defensive record in the league. Italy are traditionally known for having a stubborn defence. Beyond this, they are blessed with some wonderfully gifted footballers. Chelsea also have this, and Conte is developing his new side along the same lines as he did with the Italian national team.

Arsenal – Brazil
In the past, Brazil have possessed some of the finest players ever, their iconic samba sides are amongst the best to play football.

One evident admirer of these teams is undoubtedly Arsene Wenger — the Frenchman wants to play to entertain just as Brazil always try to do.

Over the last few years, however, Brazil have not been quite as flamboyant. They seem unable to win football matches by simply playing one way, and Arsenal perhaps fall victim to this as well. Although they have some supremely talented footballers, both Arsenal and Brazil have lost some of the backbone that previously successful sides have had.

Spurs – England/Belgium
Mauricio Pochettino is currently managing a golden generation of players at Spurs, and their Anglo-Belgian core has formed the fundamental part of his plans.

Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen have formed an excellent partnership in central defence, supported by the versatile Eric Dier. Up ahead, Moussa Dembélé, Dele Alli and Harry Kane are continuing their fantastic form.

These players are fully established English and Belgian internationals. But like England and Belgium, Spurs’ current crop of players are yet to win any major honours, and are still in the shadows of England’s top clubs. Positively though, they have a bright, young squad which is vastly improving.

Liverpool – Chile
Over the last decade, Chilean football has undergone a revolution, which has seen La Roja develop into one of the best international teams in the world. The catalyst behind their recent success is Marcelo Bielsa, who managed Chile between 2007 and 2011.

Bielsa also did a fantastic job at Athletic Bilbao in Spain, and the Argentine has had an influence on many managers with his high-energy tactics and aggressive press. One manager clearly influenced by Bielsa is Jurgen Klopp, who has arguably used Bielsa’s sides as a blueprint for the way he wants his sides to play.

Manchester City – Spain
Just as Conte has successfully brought a quintessentially Italian-style look to Chelsea, Pep Guardiola is gradually turning Manchester City into a team with typically Spanish characteristics.

Guardiola is a fan of tiki-taka and total football. So far this season City have the highest average possession in the Premier League (60%). The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager hasn’t quite had the same effect on his new club as Conte just yet, but he understandably requires time to invest further into his squad.

It is clear though how Guardiola wants City to play — his style and system adheres to Spain’s which has been so successful on the international stage.

Manchester United – Portugal
It is exciting times for both Manchester United and Portugal. After United replaced Louis Van Gaal with Jose Mourinho in the summer, it was clear that they wanted a proven winner to oil them through the gears and guide them through the next stage.

Mourinho has a good mix of experience and young, hungry players at his disposal, just as Fernando Santos had with Portugal — which was evident last summer as they famously won Euro 2016. In the tournament, Portugal demonstrated that they were a flexible unit who could play in different ways, and the pragmatism of Santos is a trait he shares with his Portuguese compatriot Mourinho.

Player loyalty: player more important than club

Written by Jack Ford on . Posted in Sport.

The January transfer window has served to, yet again, highlight the double standards we inevitably apply when we criticise players for a lack of ‘loyalty’. Whether it is in treatment of players choosing to move to China, or the vitriol directed to Dimitri Payet by those involved with West Ham and even neutrals in the media, we hold players to standards we do not expect to see in employees — including ourselves — in any other industry.

If I was unsatisfied at my place of work, perhaps feeling underpaid or experiencing a lack of opportunities, I would logically and understandably look to move on. Similarly, if I was approached by another employer offering improved wages, or if I successfully applied for such a position, I would take that opportunity for myself just as anyone else would. There would be no fear of being criticised by those at my place of work or elsewhere. Yet, for some reason, football players are expected to be loyal to clubs even to their own detriment.

Much of the anger directed at players seeking to move clubs, especially in the case of those moving to China, is fuelled by a perception that for those already earning astronomical wages, a desire for more money is symptomatic of an all-consuming greed surrounding the sport. While I object to this on the simple ground that I believe that anyone should be able to earn whatever they can for their work, there are also several factors particular to football that should be mentioned.

For one, the vast majority of players are earning not just for themselves but for their family and childrens’ futures and, particularly in the case of South American and African players, support their extended families and even home communities with their earnings. The pressure placed on a player by this consideration, both by himself and those around him, will be considerable and will likely outweigh his feelings towards his employer. I also find it objectionable that the same people criticising modern footballers’ earnings are seemingly not troubled by the similarly high earnings of F1 drivers, golf players, and boxers despite their lack of worldwide popularity compared to football.

While I understand that issues surrounding Payet’s transfer, such as the £1 million loyalty bonus paid to him prior to his transfer request, are perhaps distasteful, his desire to leave West Ham for Marseille was done not for materialistic reasons — he is accepting a pay-cut to move — but for the sake of his wife and children who were struggling to settle in London.

The lack of understanding of this from his critics reveals an attitude widely-held towards players: if they’re being paid millions to play football, they must not have any issues in their life whatsoever. We all adjust to our own realities, and as a result we will all experience problems in our lives that may seem catastrophic to ourselves but are trivial in the grand scheme of things. If players are unhappy at their clubs, and feel a move will improve their lives, it is their right to do so.

Even if those reading this entirely rejected my above arguments, and argued footballers should be loyal to their clubs in a way other employees are not, I would like to highlight the blatant hypocrisy that this attitude reveals in the clear majority of cases. Where are the calls to loyalty when a club chooses to sell or release a player who has served them for years? Where were the champions of loyalty when Payet left Marseille to join West Ham initially? Where were the pundits and ex-players demanding he remain in France and ‘rot with the kids’ for even daring to cross the channel for the ‘best league in the world’? As a fan, I have no problem with a foreign player leaving his childhood club to join my team, so why should I expect a player born in another country or even continent to be loyal to my provincial English club in the same way I am as a fan?

Purple’s playmate

Written by Sophie Soar on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

Many of us resolutely stick to our favourite make-up palettes: it’s comforting, easy and we know what looks good. In retaliation of complacency and laziness, I decided to break free from my safety zone and set myself what I assumed to be a relatively easy New Year’s resolution, to experiment with my make-up. So inspired by a friend whose large green eyes blaze beautifully when rimmed with purple eye shadow, I chose my starting point: purple.

I should confess now that when it comes to make-up, I’m about as lazy as they come: if I can get away with a tinted moisturiser for foundation I will, I haven’t owned a bronzer since my freebie from Cosmo smashed in Year 12, and I’ve used the same solitary make-up brush since I was 17. My make-up lethargy will hardly change overnight, but I’m taking it one step at a time.

My first encounter with purple make-up came in the form of a roll-on grape scented lilac eye shadow around the age of seven, so it’s about time to reattempt the shade. After an exasperating and disastrous first, second and third attempt at a smokey purple eye, I almost threw in the face towel. I reassured myself with thinking that maybe it’s just an artistic gift some people are born with. However, not quite willing to give up, I turned to make-up enthusiasts to acquire some patience and skill. Unsurprisingly they did not disappoint, and I first learnt that when you apply purple to your face, you must inevitably dance with purple’s ever-present playmate: yellow.

The first top-tip I discovered is to master a pale purple before attempting a dark purple smokey eye. Using purples and blacks might give you an air of mystery but the gloomy hues will undoubtedly rub off on your mood should you mess up. Instead, first embrace purple with its happier friend: place purple eye shadow on your underbrow and use a subtle golden yellow on the lid, giving a vibrant and brightening make-up look. The two work in perfect harmony.

However whilst purple and yellow mostly go hand-in-hand, yellow will happily use purple for its own gains. Take purple shampoo for instance; it’s a favourite styling technique to give blonde hair a lightening lift. The shampoo is designed to take the brassy tones away but beware — purple will slyly get its own back if overused, and you may go more silvery grey than honey blonde.

As with many friendships, purple and yellow can be the greatest of friends but sometimes this gives way to a tumultuous relationship. A prime example comes in the form of lipstick. Should you use a purple with bluer undertones, it will give your smile some extra shine, but apply a purple lipstick with a yellower undertone and those pearly whites will show up any yellowish imperfections.

Therefore whilst embracing this often blossoming friendship, it’s worth staying weary of their occasional conflicts. Yellow isn’t always mellow; it prefers the limelight and might work against you should it not gain the attention it desires. Purple however will happily share the stage with its playmate and it’s best to embrace the two together for optimum results.

Tangerine dream

Written by Sophie Soar on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

When the obligatory ice-breaker sessions begin during group interviews or in second semester’s introductory seminars, a favourite question offered to stimulate conversation is: what is your favourite colour? Many possess an unshakable assurance in their chosen shade: “Well, that would be a slightly purple lapis blue or maybe a malachite green — but not too turquoise!” However some may nervously deliberate over a specificity of colour, fearful perhaps that a particular shade will denote each and every personality trait, childhood trauma, or maybe even your deepest darkest secret.

In reality, our preference for favourite colours may simply arise from something as simple as happy childhood memories, a preferred colour to wear or an emotion evoked by a particular shade or hue. Mine certainly encompasses all three but when I state my favourite colour as orange, surprise or laughter often ensues, followed by the eternally hysterical question as to whether this arose from food shops at Fallowfield Sainsbury’s.

Flicking through family photo albums, the same features arise continuously from the pictures of me: a box fringe, chubby cheeks, and orange clothes. In my opinion both then and now, I won out with the lesser of two evils; my elder sister suffered her youth in yellow whilst I lucked out in the slightly sickly (but maybe one could argue iridescent) orange aesthetic. Let’s be honest though, when matching outfits are involved no one wins.

Orange and yellow may not be the most flattering of colours but who cares at the age of five? However as I grew up and became vaguely aware of my wardrobe, my preferred orange lost out to outfits styled around neon pink legwarmers, which eventually transformed into an all-black wardrobe. Since then, three years in Manchester converted my style into one with slightly more colour and I’d love to say greater maturity but that might be pushing it.

Whilst Barbie pink eclipsed my tween years and my teenage self came scarily close to Wednesday Addams’ outlook on outfits, these undoubtedly fell neatly into my mother’s favourite self-reassurance: “It’s just a phase.” I denied this vehemently during questionable style experimentations, especially around the time I begged my parents to redecorate my room in bubblegum pink. How could I possibly ever regret that decision? Yet still orange obstinately remained my favourite colour whilst other phases dissolved as quickly as they appeared.

My childhood undoubtedly honed my love for orange, including my first nail varnish from a princess magazine. Then there was my waterproof mac and matching hat, which boasted a radiant tangerine glow with white dots. Of course, my sister had the yellow version. I am now fortunate to say my taste has matured from the plastic sheen of crazy orange coats; I now assure people I prefer a sunset ambiance — evidently with maturity I adapted my justification to new levels of pretentiousness to oppose any haters.

One reoccurring look during my primary school days included an orange velvet dress, often styled by yours truly with yellow wellington boots, a multi-coloured felt pompom hat and pink sunglasses. My mother later told me I wore the dress every day for a year; she’d wash it every night as I refused to wear anything else. Evidently my stubborn streak was born with my love for orange…

Studies show that bright colours draw children’s attention for the energy and emotive responses they evoke. The ways in which we associate colours with different emotions or signifiers, like red represents danger or lust and green denotes envy or harmony, resounds with children who experience and grow through similar means. We are taught from a young age that the sky is blue, the sun is yellow, the red man means we cannot cross the road and any green food is healthy and therefore repugnant. I for one claimed an allergy to any green food at the age of seven. However even before the moment we denounce peas and beans as the bogey monster of nutrition, colours’ emotive powers have an effect before we can waddle, walk or talk.

Therefore the colours for which we show preference at a young age is likely to stay with us, even if those reasons change and alter as we experience more of the world around us. Whilst my wardrobe may not often imbue sunset hues (it’s not the easiest look to pull off after all), I remain drawn to my favourite childhood colour. It just goes to show that our childhood shapes us in many unexpected, subtle ways, even if those ways present shades of the most unsubtle nature.

The fashion blues

Written by Sarah Kilcourse on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

We all know the feeling: you look in your wardrobe and find nothing to wear, so you attempt to go shopping, but see nothing to buy. Eventually you concede and wear your wardrobe basics and hope inspiration comes from somewhere.

However, in 2017 finding original fashion inspiration is near impossible. Instagram feeds are filled with the same images over and over again, be it Kardashian-esque glamour, 90s chic, Alexa Chung wannabes, or rainbow queens, and eventually they all blur into one and the same. The blogger whose style you adored is dilated when Instagram suggests four other bloggers all dressing in exactly the same style.

Slowly but surely the power of the internet has diluted our ability to find anything truly ‘new’. It is not just us as individuals scouring the internet for the latest looks to recreate, but also huge fashion retailers like Topshop, Zara, and H&M, are all looking for the next big thing that will capture the consumers eye. Consequently, the brief moment where you strike inspiration upon some fabulous idea is being sold worldwide in less than six months.

Even here in Manchester we are overrun with the Fallowfield look: we all know it too well, supposedly edgy and vintage but all too often bought in Urban Outfitters for £40. It’s a look that attempts individuality but in our suburb of south Manchester is de rigueur. However, through the doom and gloom of a particularly miserable and grey Tuesday afternoon spent writing this, I am forced to consider what can be done to break the melancholic outlook of my current fashion blues.

When the political climate is so overwhelmingly depressing I know many consider fashion to be of little importance, but for me fashion should offer relief to the drudgery of the news declaring the latest cries of hate. Thankfully as January draws to a close, we can look forward to February and the month long fashion extravaganza that will travel from New York, to London, to Milan, and finish in Paris.

It is not for the new hot item that these shows give me optimism, but because of how they can inspire me to look with a fresh pair of eyes upon what I already own. Runway shows are an opportunity to see something new: a new way of styling, layering, or combining your wardrobe. As trivial as it may seem, a fantastic outfit can lift the spirits, enabling your feeble brain to see some positivity in a 2017 that seems determined to compete with 2016.

Interview: Tom Walker

Written by Amy Matthews on . Posted in Music.

My interview with singer-songwriter Tom Walker takes place just before his sold-out show at Fallowfield’s hipster haven Fallow Café on the last night of his debut UK tour. Speaking with Tom is like meeting an old friend: he is vibrant and in high spirits ahead of tonight’s eagerly anticipated show, the final of five sold out shows across the UK.

Raised in Chelford, tonight’s show feels like Tom’s homecoming, and later in the evening the amass of friends and family in the crowd confirms this. Reminiscing about the past few days, he says “It’s been a sick tour, really really good… it’s been a real eye opener for me.” Having extensively toured in the past Tom remarks, “It’s the first tour that people have actually come out to see me.”

Talking about previous tours he mentions how this tour has been a step up from previous ones, reflecting on how he used to drive himself to shows in his Volkswagen Fox: “It was great, but it was hard to enjoy yourself when you know you got to drive later that night.” During this tour, Tom has been upgraded to his own tour bus, “with a TV in the back…we’ve had a sick time just rocking about”. Result.

Tom seems in awe at having sold out his own tour, reminiscing about his Bristol date the night before: “I don’t even know that many people from Bristol.” Recounting his sold-out London gig at the Camden Assembly a few days prior, he beams “there were two hundred and forty people singing the words. I choked up a bit.”

Talking about his recent success with single ‘Just You and I’, a recent BBC Radio 1 track of the week, it’s no surprise why Tom is making a name for himself. “It’s all happened organically… we’ve not really pushed it”,” he says, but with over four million plays on ‘Just You and I’ in the past two months alone, the fans are clearly enjoying Tom’s sound. Recently selling out an Amsterdam gig with little promotion, there’s clearly a buzz for Tom’s music.

Describing his sound as soulful “with a bit of blues, hip-hop, a little splash of reggae and credible pop,” Tom notes that he gets lots of different descriptions of his sound, with one listener describing him as having a voice like Amy Winehouse. “I was like wow.. I’ll take that!” Tom himself cites artists like Paolo Nutini as a source of inspiration: “I like the fact he takes time to write an album and then takes it out and plays it.”

Tom has been working on his craft for many years, dividing his time between Manchester, Leeds and London. He tells me about a house share with twelve other musicians in Southgate, North London, which he cites as a hub of creativity where he was able to perfect his craft. “You’d walk round the house and everyone would have their own studio set up,” he beams.

Tom praises his parents as being very supportive with his career path, and seems genuinely elated that they will be coming to the show tonight: he mentions a previous show that his dad attended but couldn’t approach him afterwards due to the fans surrounding him. They bought Tom his first guitar age eleven, preferring to buy him music instruments rather than more traditional game consoles for boys his age. “Until I got out of Chelford I was doing everything on my own, recording things and putting them all together.”

Tom’s plans for after the tour include an afterparty in their swanky tour bus, a well-earned skiing trip, and the release of a four-track EP recorded with Jim Abyss, who has worked with the likes of Adele and Arctic Monkeys. He also teases a twelve-date European tour with a band whose name he can’t reveal.

One thing that’s no mystery is that this is just the start of Tom Walker’s rise to musical stardom, with this much buzz surrounding just a few songs.

You can follow Tom Walker on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @iamtomwalker.

Album: Cherry Glazerr – Apocalipstick

Written by David Newman on . Posted in Music.

Released 20th January via Secretly Canadian

5/10

Secretly Canadian’s latest full-length release comes from LA grunge-pop outfit and one-time Odd Future collaborators Cherry Glazerr, who I first encountered two years ago opening for The Growlers (definitely worth checking out). What hooked me was the energy of their performance as they bashed out stripped-back catchy indie-pop from their debut Haxel Princess, featuring a song about a grilled cheese sandwich aptly named… ‘Grilled Cheese’.

As well as singer-songwriter and guitarist Clementine Creevy’s jumps from high-pitched soft melodies to rabid, glaring screams at the sweaty faces, I was impressed by the band’s relaxed shared charisma. It surprised me then to hear of a full change of members in 2016 with only Creevy remaining, and wondered where they were headed next. Their new Apocalipstick follow-up LP brings many changes.

Enter classically-trained synth sister Sasami Ashworth adding a layer of atmospheric fuzz and disco melodies which never before existed in their sound, while new drummer Tabor Allen means they no longer use a human drum machine. Gone is the stripped-back, slowed-down garage sound of Creevy wistfully recording angsty bedside demos. Instead, Cherry Glazerr begin to sound (a little) more like grown-ups, moving past half-baked lyrics to exploring more cryptic and intriguing stuff.

The album has a strong start with the single ‘Told You I’d Be with the Guys’, which exhibits the full range of Creevy’s vocals as she screams “where are my ladieeeees?” before exploding into a thumping heavy chorus. The following song ‘Trash People’ is a comedic disco take on tour life (“we wear our underpants three days in a row”) with some great guitar work and pedal effects.

Unfortunately, they seem to lose pace with a succession of less inspiring filler tracks like ‘Humble Pro’ and ‘Only Kid on the Block’ with unimaginative instrumentals and unoriginal pop-rock riffs, similar to Bass Drum of Death’s more bland output with just as questionable lyrics. On many songs Ashworth’s keyboards barely manage to progress further than a neat accompaniment to the guitar, leaving me wondering whether firing half the band was worth it.

Thankfully, redeeming grungy ballad ‘Nuclear Bomb’ and the catchy and high power riffs of single ‘Nurse Ratched’ bite back to make an overall enjoyable listen. This feels like a step in the right direction for Cherry Glazerr, but with more originality they could rival the likes of Alvvays as masters of indie-pop.

It’s easy being green

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

It is now, more than ever, fashionable to be green. Thanks to major brands including H&M and the trailblazer for eco-friendly high fashion, Stella McCartney, the myth that in order to be green your clothes have to be bland and made of hemp is being dispelled. Despite Donald Trump’s recent claims that climate change does not exist, this generation has been preoccupied with trying to ensure that we are reducing our carbon footprint and ultimately saving the planet.  From recycling to making sure we remember our carrier bags when we head to Sainsbury’s — forking out 5p for a plastic bag is too much of a financial stretch —  many of us are making choices that contribute to a greener way of living. So why has the fashion industry neglected to jump fully on board?

In an age where consumers order clothes and expect them to be on their doorstep the next day, organically sourced clothing is less accessible, not to mention more expensive. However, major high street brand H&M has acknowledged the necessity of sustainable fashion with its ‘Conscious Collection’ and subsequent ‘Conscious’ beauty range. The ‘Conscious Collection’ includes clothing sourced from organically sourced materials. H&M went one step further from simply creating organic basics with their ‘Conscious Exclusive’ fashion range, which gained an elite celebrity following from Solange Knowles to Jessica Chastain. For their 2016 range, the design team took their inspiration from the archives at The Louvre and the centuries of Haute Couture. The collection included blouses, maxi dresses and a personal favourite, a stunning organic silk collarless coat.  Their Conscious Exclusive range proves that H&M are serious about creating stylish but sustainable clothing for the masses, demonstrating that organic does not have to be in the style of hippie apparel.

Whilst H&M have been major endorsers of sustainable fashion on the high street, it is Stella McCartney who has made waves and paved the way in the world of high fashion. McCartney is passionate about being green, her offices are powered by green energy and she too includes organic cotton in her clothing and also rejects using leather in her designs. Making clothing requires a great amount of materials, energy and labour plus exposure to harmful chemicals, thus ethical fashion addresses all of these concerns.

When asked in an interview on her website whether she tackles all of these issues in her fashion line, McCartney replied that the brand is ‘committed to ethical production’ and that they ‘recently joined the Ethical Trading Initiative’ and began ‘working with the National Resources Defense Council on its Clean by Design program’. Unfortunately the fashion industry has not caught up with the demand for organically sourced materials, and McCartney states that colours are very limited in organic ranges and they lack the richness and texture of non-organic clothes. At present, McCartney accepts that is not possible to create luxury fashion out of completely sustainable materials. Perhaps in the future, when more designers join the green movement, sustainable fashion will be more widely recognised as an option for luxury lovers.

It seems that the fashion industry is behind the times when it comes to saving the planet, with only a handful of designers embracing a sustainable way of fashion. However, with fashion powerhouses such as H&M and Stella McCartney driving the movement forward and challenging the myth that green fashion is bland and unstylish, the future is looking bright. These brands have proved that you can help the environment whilst still looking fabulous. I have never heard a better reason to go shopping.

Manchester United mid-season review

Written by Tariq Chastanet-Hird on . Posted in Sport.

Back in late-August, when Marcus Rashford’s 92nd minute winner at the KCOM Stadium assured José Mourinho of four wins from his first four matches as Manchester United manager, all appeared well for the Red Devils in their road to rectifying the growing mediocrity of the post-Ferguson era. The signings of Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Eric Bailly had, it was proclaimed, re-installed the ‘fear factor’ at Old Trafford and would propel United to the heights of title challengers — even winners — once again.

Behind the euphoria of this ‘new beginning’ certainly lay doubts, Mourinho’s capitulation at Chelsea during the 15/16 season was cut short in and reminded us of a familiar capacity for the Portuguese to blow up, with the club’s technical director, Michael Emenalo, speaking of “palpable discord with the players”.

Fast-forward 5 months and United lie in 6th position, 14 points off the pace before the upcoming mid-week fixtures and facing an uphill struggle to finish in the all-important Champions League places.

The story of the Reds’ season is a much more complicated one, however, than a linear slide down the Premier League table and a sobering mitigation of expectations. United remain the only English side competing on four-fronts and the improvement in playing style, despite the bar being set exceedingly low by Louis Van Gaal, is undeniable.

So, how has United’s season shaped up so far?

For a man who has historically prided himself on results and setting the pace in league competitions, it’s fair to say Mourinho has enjoyed mixed fortunes at his time with United. A 100% record in August was ended by a painful home-loss in the first Manchester derby of the season and followed by a series of damaging defeats to Feyenoord, Watford and Chelsea in mid-October.

Despite evident improvement, emphasised by a December-January nine-game winning streak and an unbeaten run sparked after that embarrassing defeat at Stamford Bridge, a succession of home draws has left United on the outskirts of the top 4.

The emergence of the ‘top-six’ this season is indicative of a return to type in the Premier League, particularly after Leicester’s efforts to de-stabilise the traditional league hierarchy in the previous campaign. In a season in which the top-six are losing fewer points to the ‘bottom 14’ than ever before, games between these clubs will have a greater impact on their final positions.

In the top-six mini-league United lie 5th, with 6 points from an available 18 and challenging away trips fast-approaching. With the league title all but out of reach, Mourinho’s men will need an almost perfect second half of the season to finish in the Champions League positions, including an improvement in results against their direct competitors.

United’s players have been subject to both the good and ugly side of Mourinho’s approach to man-management.

The Portuguese’s public criticism of Luke Shaw for his part in Watford’s second goal during the 3-1 defeat at Vicarage Road in September showed on many accounts a lack of empathy for a left-back only just recovering from a horrific double leg fracture sustained a year earlier. Shaw has spoken out about the profound mental impact of his injury; the English international’s restrained attacking ambition in recent performances is the latest sign of a lack of confidence.

Anthony Martial has experienced similar treatment after a lively first season at United in which he bagged 17 goals in all competitions. Mourinho has challenged the Frenchmen to follow a similar to route to that of Mkhitaryan in order to secure his place in the first-team.

Indeed, we have witnessed a contrasting approach from Mourinho towards Marouane Fellaini, whose recent form can only be taken as a consequence of the manager’s public praise of the Belgian. It remains to be seen, then, whether Mourinho’s notoriously abrasive management style will inspire the United players to success, or engender another squad mutiny.

United are the only English side that remain competing on four fronts this season but this can easily act against them rather than in their favour.

Realistically, the EFL Cup is Mourinho’s most achievable source of silverware, with the Premier League now out of reach and the FA Cup and Europa League yet to kick into full competitive swing. Attention now turns to Champions League qualification, and even that cannot be guaranteed.

Questions remain at Old Trafford as to when — and if — Mourinho will return United to the heady heights of the Ferguson era; league success will define his career in Manchester, and it remains to be seen whether he can deliver.

Poet of the Week: Damani Dennisur

Written by Roma Havers on . Posted in Books.

Damani Dennisur (AKA Tukaiisloveletter) is a first year Ancient History and Archeology student. He is a performance poet and musician from Birmingham and recently competed in the Manchester UniSlam team. He was Young Poet Laureate of Birmingham five years ago, and he’s not even 20 yet. 

Boys Don’t Cry

Pink is the favourite colour of shadows and sillouettes,
hope is the favourite colour of bright eyes and childish dreams
We often build statues of the ones that swam in the waters of… All those who came before
and write love letters to the cold touch of Steel cages

Tears are for the weak
We learnt to wrap our hands in bandages and ride into battle with fists in the air and blood on our teeth
Hearts were always disposable
Mud always spoke more sense than camomile tea
Tears are for the weak
Honesty is for the weak

Arrows lodged in the chests of heavy weights never found more comfort in sitting in place
Like salt on the wounds of a snail
Boys shouldn’t get to say how they feel
Facts and stats are just, words and numbers.
Warriors live to die in battle because fear is for the weak
Tears are for the weak

How long can you keep your fist clenched before your palm whimpers in the language of broken spines and lonely ghosts?

How long can you keep your eyes closed before you want to see the world again?

 

LGBT History Month: coming out

Written by Michael Petch on . Posted in Opinion.

February is LGBT history month, and with the recent growth in LGBT rights many are asking why we still need a month dedicated to LGBT people. Hopefully throughout this series, I will be able to argue why LGBT history month matters by examining the inequalities that LGBT people face today.

Coming out is still a pivotal and terrifying necessity for LGBT people. Although many presume that parents and friends will be accepting, many still feel fear that coming out will result in them losing contact with those close to them. No two experiences are the same. Even talking amongst my friends I know of people who came out when they were 13 and some people who only really did so at university.

This can be a very daunting time, as you begin to assess which people in your life you are close to, and who you feel that you can most trust. You find yourself questioning the love of your own family as you hear the awful stories of parents rejecting their children, forcing them out onto the street, or sending them to conversion therapy — which is still legal in the UK. Arguably the worst part of many of our lives is the time that we as LGBT folk spend in the closet, constantly being afraid of being caught and hated.

I know that for me, I felt a lot of pressure to be straight and have children. It was always just how I had envisaged my life, owing largely to my predominantly Catholic upbringing. This sense of guilt that many religions put upon LGBT people cannot be underestimated, as guilt is often a common emotion that prevents people from feeling as though they can come out. There may be a sense that they will be letting down their families, or in some way will be damaging their social group by coming out. Often these fears are unfounded, and indeed many LGBT people are in fact religious, but these initial feelings are still a temporary barrier to happiness.

In this way, perhaps the worst place for an LGBT person to be is stuck in a sort of coming out limbo. Many LGBT people will be out with their family and friends, but not at work. Perhaps a more familiar setting for students are those who are out in the university setting, where liberal politics allow for open thinking and expression, but are not at home, where people may be more conservative on such matters.

These people are stuck hopping in and out of the closet as they change social circles and have to relentlessly cover their tracks in order to make sure that they are not caught out. I have had friends who have received love bites whilst at University, and either had to lie about them and say they were from a girl, or somehow attempt to cover them when they returned home. Equally, they have had to remove tags of themselves from Facebook pictures which show them being in a gay club.

This dilemma is perhaps much more challenging for trans people, who would have to revert to a name not suitable for their gender, and be referred to by pronouns that do not suit them. This can worsen gender dysphoria, the general sense of discomfort and upset or depression surrounding how others and they themselves perceive their own gender.

All of this highlights the central problem that exists in a society where LGBT people have to come out. Someone’s LGBT status becomes a secret, and affects the various different subgroups in different ways.
This contributes to higher STI rates among gay and bisexual men. It is still inherently more taboo to be gay or bisexual, and as such it is not uncommon for gay sexual activities to take place outside the home. This means that condoms are less likely to be available, and so increases the risk of STI transmission. Were homosexuality not a secret to admit, this would likely not be the case.

It also leads to the false perception that trans people are deceptive. Many of the incidents of violence against trans women are sexually motivated, often due to the culprit feeling emasculated by taking part in sex acts with a person who society would still deem a man. This is because the social narrative of what it is to be a trans woman is that they are still secretly male. We need only look at the Jerry Springer show and see that not even ten years ago it was still running weddings were it would be a hilarious surprise announcement that the bride was actually a man. Video clips of these still circulate Facebook and are supposed to elicit laughter at the unwitting groom and how he could be so dumb.

What ultimately must be done is that we need to foster a culture in which assuming people are straight is not the norm. Things like the recent Lloyds bank advert showing a gay proposal can go a long way to normalising the lives of LGBT people.

Denial: the repercussions of denying the Holocaust

Written by Isidora Cortes-Monroy on . Posted in Film.

“More women died on the backseat of Senator Kennedy’s car in Chappaquiddick than ever died in a gas chamber at Auschwitz.”

Like many, these words shocked and disgusted me when I heard them. It would seem unreal that anyone could have said them aloud in public. Yet the 90’s saw ‘historian’ David Irving pronounce them shamelessly, claiming that Hitler was actually the Jews “best friend”. As would be expected, he was met with angry protests from different members of society, particularly from historian Deborah Lipstadt in her novel “Denying the Holocaust”, where she labelled him as a Holocaust denier who distorted the truth to fit his own personal needs.

Irving, outraged by the defamation of his name, sued Lipstadt for libel, just as he had sued historians Gitta Sereny and John Lukacs, although neither case made it to court. Lipstadt, however, was not prepared to stand down and so proceeded to defend her accusations in court. Winning this case would not only save Lipstadt’s reputation as a historian, but would defend the Holocaust’s victims right to be remembered. There were greater things at stake here than the financial cost of losing the lawsuit.

Mick Jackson’s new film, Denial, dramatizes the real-life events of the legal dispute between Irving (Timothy Spall) and Lipstadt (Rachel Weisz), recreating the moments from Irving and Lipstadt’s first encounter to the judge’s final decision. The film centres around Lipstadt as she prepares the case with her team of lawyers, led by Anthony Julius (Andrew Scott) and Richard Rampton (Tom Wilkinson), who refuse to let the loud New Yorker speak her mind in court.

It is a frustrating process, as it is her book that is under scrutiny. Lipstadt is, after all, the central character yet she is not allowed to speak in the key moments. However, thanks to David Hare’s artful screenplay, as well as Weisz’s talent, we are able hear Lipstadt’s silent irritation in the courtroom as the camera focuses on her agitated face, bursting with protests that cannot be verbally expressed. Here, Weisz’s skill as an actress shines not so much because of what she says, but rather because of what she doesn’t say.

As to the structure of the film, I could not disagree more with The New York Times’ Stephen Holden’s comment that the film “leaves a frustrating emptiness at its center” and that “the creators could have found some compelling drama in the characters’ personal lives”. The fact that the film refuses to indulge in their personal lives shows the extent to which the trial took over their lives.

Their identities were defined by this trial: Lipstadt’s view of herself as a member of the Jewish community depended on the success of this trial, whilst Irving’s reputation among England’s educated elites was at stake. As a result, the trial becomes synonymous with the characters’ personal lives, therefore putting more weight on the judge’s final decision.

Furthermore, to present a subplot of personal dramas would be to cheapen the main issue of the plot which was essentially the memory and the act of remembering the Holocaust. If I wanted to see strained romances or family disputes, there were many other cinema rooms I could have gone to. Yet by going to see Denial, I expected to watch a journalistic film about history, justice and memory, all of which was successfully delivered by director Mick Jackson.

When I came out of the cinema, there was no feeling of “frustrated emptiness”, but rather a sense of hope. A sense of hope because Denial reminds its viewers to be critical of the ‘truths’ they are told by politicians and historians. Distorted facts are not rare in the news nowadays, therefore it comes as breath of fresh air to see one of these falsifiers be condemned for his actions.

Rating: 5/5