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Day: 25 January 2018

Carillion collapse puts Fallowfield Campus development at risk

Work has been paused on Carillion construction sites across the country following the company’s collapse on the 15th of January.

The second largest construction company in the UK went into liquidation after it struggled to cope with £1.5bn worth of debt. With Carillion employing 43,000 staff around the world, the collapse puts thousands of jobs at risk.

Carillion is responsible for a wide range of projects across the UK, and is currently the contractor in charge of the campus development on the university’s Fallowfield site.

The plan involves a three-phase project taking place between April 2017 and June 2023, and hope to see 3,000 new student accommodation units built. The plans also involve the demolition of Oak House and the Owens Park Tower to make room for more modern living spaces.

The first phase of the project is due to finish in the summer of 2019. It is unclear whether Carillion’s collapse will affect these developments but it is expected to at least cause delays for the project.

When contacted for comment on the affect Carillion’s collapse will have on this project, a University of Manchester spokesperson told The Mancunion: “We can confirm that Carillion is the principal contractor on our Fallowfield student development. At this stage we are considering our options and have no further comment to make.”

Carillion declined to comment.

Manchester student wins nationwide triathlon scholarship

“I didn’t think I would get it at all, I knew there’d be a lot of strong athletes going for it. I was pretty shocked to be honest.” For Laura Rose Smith, a dental student at the University of Manchester, it was more an application of hope rather than expectation. “I follow Yellow Jersey on Instagram and social media and it was all over Facebook and Instagram and I was like ‘ooh, I’ll have a look what that entails.’ Read it and thought I might as well apply, it’s a really good opportunity.”

The scholarship aims to encourage more students to both take up and keep up triathlon, as research shows a significant  number of competitors drop off at University level. The judging panel, comprised of professionals and business heads from the triathlon world, were looking for a student who could demonstrate how they would increase participation among their peers and community, as well as someone who is passionate about the sport.

That student was Laura. “They wanted someone who would take friends with them and get over people involved. I’ve done a lot of stuff for the cycling brand Liv. I was a Liv ambassador, promoting and getting women in sport. I set up a triathlon club at David Lloyd. Getting newbies involved. I’ve set up my own coaching business with my partner. They said they liked the entrepreneur side of things and the fact I was so passionate about not only my training but getting other people into it.”

Laura is studying dentistry at the University but began her higher education in Birmingham and it was here that a love of triathlon matured. “I was a runner since a really young age. My dad was a middle distance runner so I followed suit. The interest [in triathlon] arose watching the London Olympics.

“My mum was like ‘you should give that a go’ and I was like ‘there’s just no way I can swim for that long at all.’ I couldn’t believe how quickly they were getting their shoes on and off! How the hell do they do that? That got put to bed for a couple of years but there was always a little bit in the back of my head that was like ‘oh, I do want to give it a go’. Then I started uni at Birmingham in 2014 and they’ve got a really established tri-club and I thought ‘you know what, give it a go. University, prime time, try something new.’”

While the first session was understandably a little daunting, Laura said the welcome she received encouraged her to continue. “I went to the first swim session, I felt like I was drowning the entire time to be honest but I really loved it. The nice thing about triathlon is it just attracts people from elite to complete novice. There were people that couldn’t even swim at the training and then people that were competing at an elite level. Everyone was so friendly that I was like ‘you know what I will see what the run and bike sessions are and I’ll sign myself up’. It started from there and didn’t stop really.”

The love of the sport developed into an interest in coaching and in November of last year, Laura along with her partner Luke Pollard started their own coaching business, Rocket Coaching. “I set up a tri-club in David Lloyds and while I was in Birmingham, I worked there part time while I was studying for my first degree. It was a real success and I made real strong bonds with the athletes.

It was really sad when I left actually, I was getting a lot of messages. My parents are part of the tri-club so I was getting feedback from them like ‘people are missing you.’ Me and my partner thought ‘you know what, we kind of have a clue what we’re doing. Why don’t we set something up?’”

Laura’s work around the sport is what impressed the judges and it is something she hopes to expand on in 2018. “Part of the scholarship is they want me to get students involved. Especially as Manchester doesn’t have a tri-club maybe try and set one up. I’m going to be trying to do that other the next year so anyone that is interested or fancies trying it out. You can enter beginner aquathlons and duathlons which are run and swim or bike and run, just to give you a taste of it. Get in contact with me. Even if you’re a runner, it’s really good cross-training. They all crossover.”

The balance of university and triathlon can be difficult but Laura believes it is worth it. “I think my day starts and finishes just a little before everyone else (laughs). I swim with City so their training sessions are at quarter to six in the morning so it’s in the pool at quarter to six which means a 5AM wake up which is always nice. Then uni in the day and then I usually try and fit something in when I’ve finished uni. Try and work it best I can, just juggling things around really.”

Laura’s aim is to become a dentist but she hopes triathlon remains a big part of her life. “I do want to be a dentist. I think triathlon will hopefully always follow me. I would still like to do it at a fairly competitive level when I’ve qualified. Keep the coaching business ticking over as it’s something I do enjoy.”

In terms of 2018 goals: “for the past two years, I’ve come fourth at the British Triathlon Champs so it’d be really, really nice to squeeze on that podium. It’s very annoying fourth place so I definitely want to tick that one off this year. I’d like to be selected for the U23 Elite Great Britain Team for the World or European Duathlon Champs, that would be pretty good because it’s my last year of being U23s. So it would be nice to finish that on a high. I think Europeans are in Ibiza so it’d be quite a nice post-race celebration after. Finally, a podium at the Elite British Duathlon Champs.

“A non-performance goal would be maybe set something up at Manchester. Just increase the participant level as much as I can. It’s a great sport and it’s brought so much to me, it would be great to see something develop in Manchester.”

If you want to get involved with triathlon at university, Laura has given The Mancunion her contact details and asks anyone to get in touch whether you’re a complete novice or an established runner.

  • Facebook: LauraRoseSmithy
  • Twitter: @Iaurarosesmith
  • Instrgam: iaurarosesmith
  • Website: http://laurarosesmith.co.uk

Album Review: Camila – Camila Cabello

Leaving American girl-group Fifth Harmony in December 2016, Camila Cabello shows she is more than capable of going alone with her honest, heart-wrenching debut album.

The 20-year-old has taken the world by storm in 2017, ending with #1 hit ‘Havana’ (oh na na) under her belt, as well as being the most listened to female artist on Spotify, and #2 most listened to artist after Ed Sheeran with 43 million listeners. Which is pretty impressive considering she only released her album in January this year.

Camila Cabello has become the third female artist to have a first week as number one on the Billboard 200 at the same time as being number one on the Hot 100. The last artists to do this were Beyonce with ‘Crazy in Love’ and Dangerously in Love in 2003, preceded by Britney Spears with track and album with the same name ‘…Baby One More Time’ in 1999.

Originally meant to be called The Hurting, The Healing, The Loving, Camila provides a rebirth for Cabello. Breaking away from the sexualised pop-hits from Fifth Harmony, Cabello has writing credits on every track. Cabello’s long-awaited solo debut is a personal statement, low-key and mellow even when it’s infused with the rhythms of her Cuban-Mexican heritage.

Compared to previous songs, Camila is stripped down, focusing on Cabello’s biggest asset: her voice. She doesn’t go for ‘bangers’, and the album is dominated by slower, intricate songs. ‘Havana’ is the nearest Camila comes to a dance track, yet even that song is a bittersweet reverie of diaspora romance. She gets intimate in the reggaeton lilt of ‘She Loves Control’ and the light tropical steel-drum breeze of ‘Inside Out’, where she swerves between English and Spanish. She puts her heart into her lyrics, particularly evident in songs such as ‘Something’s Gotta Give’: “Counterfeit emotions only run skin deep/Know you’re lying when you’re lying next to me, next to me.”

This is a new chapter for Cabello, and we are listening to her story-telling, personal diary. Part of the speculated reasons for her leaving Fifth Harmony is that Cabello felt the group were “too sexualised”. Her song ‘Into It’ proves you can be sultry without going overboard: “I see a king-sized bed in the corner, we should get into it.”

Cabello sounds comfortable in herself. It’s hard to carve out any unique space in the crowded female vocal market, but as the first female in history to have a debut album go to #1 in 100+ countries, Cabello will be just fine.

Interview: Superorganism

Superorganism has not been together for too long ‘officially’, but have gained such a traction and following already, it is clear to see that the supergroup are on to big things in the future.

The members’ origins span England, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. Harry, the guitarist, explains that despite the band being in its infancy, there has been a “slow convergence over many years, and an incubation period of about a decade.”

Harry goes on to describe origin story. Initially, they had all met on internet music forums and had experimented in recording projects with some of the members before. It wasn’t until 2015, however, whilst touring with a previous band in Japan, where Orono came down to watch and introduced herself. They all began to chat and Orono took them to the Zoo and even went to get burgers, this would be the beginning of their friendship and kept in touch, sharing their projects and ideas.

Fast forward to 2016, and Harry is embarking upon another recording project, but instead of involving just a select few they decided to involve everybody that they knew. The group asked Orono if she would like to be involved and sent them what they had. To their surprise, within an hour she had written and recorded the lyrics and sent them back ‘Something For Your M.I.N.D’. Harry laughs and says that it was then where everything clicked and kicked into gear, and from there on out it snowballed. The group began to start writing and recording for another six-seven months and remained anonymous whilst doing so, and when they did finally reveal their work “the floodgates just opened.”

Now that all the members of Superorganism live together in the same country, they all hang out and share music in the kitchen, “as long as it’s something catchy, it’s something we will all be into”. Their music is often inspired by things like science, space, and nature, and how everyone is connected. The lyrics that Orono often draws from her honest observations of the world, which she notes down on her phone.

It’s quite rare these days to have so many people in one group, so to highlight everyone in the band and what they do, here’s a rundown and introduction to everyone in Superorganism, it must also be noted that their roles are not the be all and end all, they all merge, cross and contribute.

  • Bee, Ruby and Soul — Live band, backing singers, dancers and general all rounded greatness
  • Toucan — Drummer
  • Emily — Keys
  • Harry — Guitar
  • Orono — Keys and Vocals
  • Rob — visuals, music videos, and staging

Harry emphasises how important visuals are for them when they perform live, which is funny because initially, they weren’t sure if they would ever play live. Some of the group already coming from bands who have performed but accept that this is totally different. “There’s something so pedestrian about four dudes in a rock band, we wanted to create this whole world.”

When on stage, the experience they create is meant to be somewhat of a “mushroom trip”, it can be slightly overbearing and overwhelming at sometimes, but in contrast, it makes you “laugh and think, it’s fun and playful as well as being distorted and broken”. It’s a night that you should come to with an open mind.

Superorganism will release their debut album on the 2nd March 2018.

University staff to strike over pensions

The University and Colleges Union has said strike action is likely after talks with with Universities UK (UUK) over the future of staff pension schemes ended without an agreement.

Following a ballot result on Monday 22nd January in which 88 per cent of UCU members backed strike action, the union said that 61 universities would be hit by strikes and other forms of industrial action by UCU members, expected to start on Thursday 22 February.

UCU said the first strikes would most likely start with a two-day walkout on the 22 and 23 of  February. The action would then escalate to three-day, four-day and five-day walkouts in future weeks. The union said it would review its action and consider the next steps after those initial strike days if the dispute had not been resolved.

Non-strike actions would include union members working strictly to their contract, which would see them refusing to cover classes or reschedule classes lost on strike days as well as refusing to undertake any voluntary duties.

In a press release, UCU General Secretary Sally Hunt said: “Universities will be hit with levels of strike action not seen before on UK campuses if a deal cannot be done over the future of USS pensions. Members have made it quite clear they are prepared to take action to defend their pensions and the universities need to work with us to avoid widespread disruption.

“Even at this late stage we urge universities to work with us to reach an agreement that protects the defined benefit element of USS pensions.”

Russell Group universities that were established before 1992 currently pay into what is known as a ‘defined benefit scheme’ pension that is managed by the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), although decisions made about it are made by Universities UK (UUK).

USS take a percentage out of employees’ pay, which is then matched or more by the employer. This is invested in a pension fund which they can then withdraw at the point of retirement.

UUK announced in November 2017 that they now want to change this to a ‘defined contribution scheme’ (that will still be managed by USS) in order to counteract the apparent pension deficit.

This would mean that employee and employer contributions will be invested in the stock market, with the aim of growing it over the years before retirement. Each employee in the scheme then receives a share of the pot when they leave the employer.

This can pose a substantial risk on the employee, as it is not guaranteed that these investments will be fruitful. Their resulting pension may in fact be less than their initial contribution.

UCU estimates that a lecturer joining a pre-92 university and USS today would be £208,000 worse off than they would have been under the current USS scheme, and £385,000 worse off than if they instead joined a post-92 university and the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS).

On Tuesday 23rd January, Education Officer of the University of Manchester’s Students’ Union, Emma Atkins, said: “It’s extremely disappointing that UUK prioritised the employers over the employees on this matter.”

“We prioritise students in all matters of strike action but support UCU in their intentions to make sure lecturers and tutors are well paid with secure pensions.

“A sector with insecure pensions and unhappy, sidelined staff won’t attract the best candidates, and the student experience will suffer because of that. We will be meeting with the UCU on 1st February to discuss this matter further.”

The University of Manchester declined to comment.

Third year English Language student, Sam Cooper, said: “given the proposed strike is weeks away, I suspect it is a case of trying to pressure the UUK into making the desired changes rather than actually planning a strike.

“The comment [from the UCU General Secretary] that ‘Universities will be hit with levels of strike action not seen before on UK campuses’ sounds more like a speech from Game of Thrones than a constructive comment…”

On the disruption to studies, third year Geography student, Justin Snodgrass, said that the strikes would be “annoying, especially since my degree doesn’t have many contact hours. Despite this, I support a decent guaranteed retirement income so I’d be in favour of strike action.”

Sam said: “if it does go to a strike, it will hardly be surprising. I don’t think a single academic year has gone past in my university education that a strike hasn’t occurred and while I agree people’s pensions shouldn’t be altered, you have to wonder why students who have paid £9,000 every year have to receive less education for something entirely out of their hands.”

Exec Officer applications open

Students at the University of Manchester can now stand to be a Students’ Union Executive Officer for the academic year 2018/2019.

The roles offer a chance to represent the student body and campaign on issues affecting fellow students, as well as working with external organisations in Manchester and nationwide.

The roles also offer networking opportunities through attending conferences and a chance to promote and defend the rights of students with the National Union of Students.

Emma Atkins, having stood as the Exec Officer for two years in a row, re-ran last year because there was a lot of work that she wanted to see finished, but cannot run again this year as Officers can only stand for two terms (she is the only officer of the current Exec team in this position).

Speaking to The Mancunion, Atkins stated that “it was an incredible opportunity — everyone who talks about the elections says this, but as an Officer, I can tell you it gives you skills and puts you in scenarios and opens up experiences that you’d never get in any other job.

“As well as learning communication, teamwork, public speaking, time management and project management skills, you also become a Trustee of one of Manchester’s biggest charities. This means you learn how to be strategic in your thinking, you learn about finance and risk, and have loads of problem-solving examples to give in job interviews.

“Most importantly, you get budget and resources to focus on issues that matter to you, and create innovative new ways to make students at Manchester have the best time possible.”

Following the officer role review at the recent Senate, new roles have been introduced this year.

The first role is International Students Officer, which will mean they will be responsible for the support of over 11,000 students at the university. The role will a oversee cultural exchange, pastoral support, tuition fees and help with areas such as visa support and integration of the International Society with the SU.

The next new role is one derived from the Diversity Officer, which will now become the Liberation and Access Officer which diverges all the Liberation groups of a student at the university.

Emma Atkins has stated that “this Officer will also lead on work for ‘Access’ and support mature, part-time and distance learning students and students with caring responsibilities. The Access part additionally focuses on Widening Participation and Living at Home students, for which the SU and the University have lots of work they do in partnership.

“This Officer will work on policy, campaigns and support for all these students. This name better reflects the work they will do, as the role of Diversity Officer used to also lead on work for international students and postgraduate students. But now we have an International Students Officer and postgraduates go under Education Officer, this new title better applies to the reformed role.”

Finally, the roles of Campaigns and Community Officer have been merged to create Campaigns, Community and Citizenship Officer which will focus on housing, safety and homelessness in Manchester.

With the recent 1.5 per cent turnout in the All Student Vote on the Exec Officer roles, the Citizenship Officer will be responsible to encourage students to vote, as well as getting students to integrate into the local community.

The roles are open to all students and for those who wish to stand would need to have their application form in by Friday the 16th of February which can be found on the Students’ Union website.

Voting opens on Thursday the 1st of March and closes on Thursday the 8th of March.

It’s app-ening: five apps to keep you studying

Do! (Free on iOS)

“It’s literally just…a to do list but I’m one of those people who hates the red notifications on your phone and it keeps them there until you’ve done the task. So it’s kinda handy for making sure you get it done because every time you open your phone it’s a constant reminder to stop procrastinating.” — Louise, final year

Trello (Free on Android and iOS)

A to-do list app on steroids. Trello allows you to make different boards for different projects and make multiple lists within these boards. If your friends or group project pals have it too, you can share your boards and collaborate on them. This is useful for those people that like to compartmentalise their multitasking. There’s also a browser version for laptops and computers.

Forest (Free on Android, £1.99 on iOS)

“While working, it can be hard to not be distracted by your phone. This app lets you set a time and grow a digital tree.  If you use your phone, the tree dies. It is very effective in stopping phone use during long and boring essays or during revision sessions. Additionally, having a lovely digital tree at the end is very satisfying.” —  Katie, final year

SimpleMind (Free lite version on Android and iOS)

If you like a visual way to organise your thoughts but hopeless at drawing, this app may be for you. This app lets you create neat, colourful and customisable mind maps. You can add your own images to them and organise the branches in your own way. The lite version gets you all the essentials, but if you want to save your mind maps in different file formats and have more pretty templates invest in the pro version.

Google Calendar (Free on Android and iOS)

This is a simple recommendation but a staple. If paper diaries aren’t your thing, this is one to get on. You can set even set reminders that annoyingly, but usefully, carry on to the next day if you don’t get them done. Add multiple calendars, customisable and it easily syncs across devices and on the iCloud, so you can access it anywhere.

Review: Star Wars – The Last Jedi

Star Wars is a strange franchise. It’s an ill-defined saga, and George Lucas has always based his vision on a foundation of change, whether it be the exciting aesthetic and emotional evolution of the original trilogy, or the attempted expansion and dull politics of the failed prequels.

J.J. Abrams’ The Force Awakens was aware but wary of this, constructing new characters and settings to an extent, but attune to a cinematic environment that rewards the nostalgic and familiar and all too often punishes blockbuster revolution.

With The Last Jedi, Disney takes its biggest risk in a number of years, handing over the reins to one man with a strange, expansive, operatic vision of what Star Wars can and should be, and it’s understandable that people are angry. This is Rian Johnson, after all, director of ‘Fly’, an episode of Breaking Bad considered one of the best or worst pieces of television in history depending on who you ask.

This year has seen franchises such as Blade Runner 2049 and War for the Planet of the Apes entrusting auteurs taking the material seriously, deconstructing and expanding their worlds and delivering stories with heart, existentialism and message. It’s astounding that, despite this, Star Wars: The Last Jedi surely ranks amongst the best.

Star Wars has never felt so solid. It has a regrettable shaky opening that unfortunately introduces its hit and miss style of humour which continues throughout. However, the action set piece culminates in a climax that emphasises the claustrophobia of cockpits, the heft and sound of the Resistance’s clunky controls and the characters and souls behind the CGI of the stylishly designed spaceships. Johnson understands the need for authentic visual effects and the clarity with which they should be shot, and at times direct his lens as if photographing a vehicle or person. Domination, submission, isolation and solidarity are all communicated perfectly with ships that start to feel like tangible personalities.

Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker makes his triumphant return and proves himself a true talent following his shaky performances in the original films, here his turn as an aged Jedi Master proving just as good or better than Alec Guinness’ Obi Wan Kenobi in A New Hope. Anyone disappointed with his short-lived appearance in The Force Awakens should be left extremely satisfied, with Johnson subverting and challenging our perceptions of Hamill’s character before delivering precisely what we’ve been waiting for these long 34 years since his departure in Return of the Jedi.

The respect for the craft of acting, especially with regards to our perceptions of persona are realised wonderfully in Johnson’s entry, allowing for quiet moments of dialogue and connections between characters that the frisky pace of The Force Awakens couldn’t stop for. Most specifically, Adam Driver is allowed to be Adam Driver, connecting an awkward sensitivity, a cautiously dominant and husky cadence to Kylo Ren that expands the conflict behind the seething anger of his antagonist.

This works especially well with Daisy Ridley’s Rey, who is just as inquisitive and resourceful as before, but with an unexpected conceit. She is granted communication with Kylo in scenes establishing both her righteous anger and willingness to empathise. This is one of the ‘talkiest’ entries of the Star Wars franchise, but it’s all in favour of the world and character building, and it’s admirable for a franchise so concerned with the completely separate dichotomy of the light and dark to so suddenly and effectively introduce the concept of grey.

Complaints about the second act are well-founded, and there does exist a chase scene that’s a little reminiscent of the prequels. However, the benefit of the introduction of Rose and Benicio Del Toro’s DJ greatly outweigh the slight shortcomings, as the concept of a Star Wars movie being a complete ensemble piece just works (Laura Dern is also extremely welcome), and the three plot threads culminate wonderfully in one of the most striking and cathartic moments of visual splendour you’ll see all year.

The complexity of its plot may extend the running time and roles of its characters, but it’s completely necessary. Not least by ensuring the late, great Carrie Fisher’s General Leia as a crucial feminine through line that not only delivers one of her best performances, but, with the inclusion of Dern as others, finally removes the militant, boys’ club atmosphere of a Rebellion supposedly fighting for galactic equality. This a movie that indirectly challenges the exciting yet outdated masculinity of Han Solo, Oscar Isaac’s Poe Dameron a vice for addressing the problems of a franchise that, through no fault of its own, started in the 1970s, yet his character never feels short changed despite this.

Resurrecting a specific era of film-making that I believed long dead, the fact that it works so well gives me hope for its return, in a scene that is dangerously new, yet manages to wrestle the idea of nostalgia away from its status as a dirty word. Many have read The Last Jedi as being in contempt for its mythos, but Johnson’s film is first and foremost a staggeringly affectionate send-up of fandom and fantastical science-fiction by a fan and for the fans.

4.5/5

Review: The Post

When it comes to cinematic output, Steven Spielberg is showing no signs of slowing down, having released almost a film a year this decade. Many may have forgotten his middling effort to adapt The BFG a couple of years ago, and The Post comes presented as a more mature filling for the blockbusters sandwiching his push for a Best Picture nod, with his hotly anticipated foray into nostalgic cyberpunk, Ready Player One, hitting the big screens in just a few months. Sadly, though his filmography is stacking exponentially, the passion for his craft seems all too often absent from this perfectly pleasant yet ultimately disposable detailing of the Washington Post’s publication of leaked Pentagon papers.

Penned by exciting new talent Liz Hannah, the script feels disappointingly loose and disjointed when adapted by Spielberg at his laziest, and combined with editing that doesn’t seem to know when the best, wittiest and most impactful lines are hitting. Had the seasoned director chosen to acknowledge the script as the driving strength behind the film, The Post would have been a thrilling celebration of Meryl Streep’s best performance in some years, instead of being just about saved by it. Streep plays the scathing Katherine Graham, the overwhelmed yet ultimately capable head of The Washington Post, and it’s the first time she has out-acted each of her fellow cast members for some time. Not only are they out-acted, but they are seemingly all blessed with a chance to compete tête-à-tête, with Streep invariably emerging victorious.

This is indeed Meryl Streep’s film, but not always because the other performers simply aren’t good enough. It’s true that Tom Hanks’ Ben Bradlee is too growling and gurning to leave a positive impression — inconsistently accented, too — and the usually likeable Alison Brie disappoints by essentially delivering a roughly approximated imitation of her superior cast mate portraying Graham’s daughter. However, the main problem is that much of the cast is simply painfully underused.

Leeching from some of the year’s best character actors, Spielberg gloatingly waves Michael Stuhlbarg (Call Me By Your Name) and Bradley Whitford (Get Out) in front of the audience, yet never demands much more from them than an opportunity to stand among Streep and Hanks. Additionally, the casting of comically-inclined performers David Cross and Bob Odenkirk in an attempt to wring out some laughs that the script doesn’t really have, is woefully misjudged for a film that is striving for poignancy and relevance.

Luckily, the narrative is paced well enough that, when events start picking up in the latter 45 minutes, it doesn’t feel as if you’ve been sitting for twice as long as you have. This is a dialogue driven picture, and its tension is at its most successful when characters are verbally sparring round tables or at the end of phone lines that have extended to five or more people. These conversations and arguments stand as The Post’s real meat, and stridently overcome the whimsical montages of the printing press that, when accompanied by John Williams’ sentimentally dated compositions, feel more like the contraptions in Edward Scissorhands than the machinery responsible for delivering “the first draft of history”.

Sentimentality has frequently been a criticism of Spielberg’s efforts as a filmmaker, though luckily his older projects have been genuine enough to wave this away as cynicism. However, within The Post emerges what is almost a paradox, in that the proven director is demonstrating a sentimentality for the mature, when it usually manifested as childhood nostalgia.

Seemingly fuelling an almost egotistical regret that his directing in the 1970s veered towards action and science-fiction rather than standing in the ranks amongst the likes of All the President’s Men and The Conversation, Spielberg applies the same misty-eyed reverence to journalism as he did to aliens and sharks, yet clumsily combines this with the same voyeuristic camerawork and grainy, muddy colour grading as the 1970s espionage flicks. It’s unfortunate that more time was spent ensuring that The Post looked like a film from the 70s, rather than it being a successful film about the 70s with some much needed modern flair.

The final act is compelling and timely enough to warrant its status as a loving tribute to the free press and forgive some missteps, and Meryl Streep is admittedly wonderful when given a chance to shine above Spielberg’s rough direction. Despite this, The Post too frequently feels like an impersonation of the 1970s rather than a representation of a world that feels tangible and lived in, and the attempts at a step in the mature direction seem wrong-footed on Spielberg’s part with Ready Player One and an Indiana Jones sequel following in the next couple of years.

3/5

Review: Sapporo Teppanyaki

Upon entering Sapporo Teppanyaki I was taken back by an atmosphere of excitement, sprinkled with explosions of fire, followed by uproars of cheer. We were shown promptly to our seats where we awaited our five course Suki set menu. The first two courses were served together, the first being a deliciously crunchy Namasu salad and the second, a beautifully balanced Miso wakame soup. The contrast of textures was the perfect way start the meal. The chef then entered the middle of the Teppanyaki table, where he started frying slices of potatoes and flicking them into the mouths of customers.

We were then served our third course of duck rolls and chicken gyozas, the latter being exquisite and genuinely some of the best I have ever experienced, but these were unfortunately let down by the bland and unbearably doughy duck rolls.

I was quickly distracted, however, by the spectacular theatrics that were taking place in front of me including dazzling displays of fire, egg juggling and even the odd practical joke (I won’t ruin it for you). This was followed by spring onion wrapped in chicken fresh from the hot plate, served with mixed vegetables and sliced potatoes.

Finished with what can only be described as the most disappointing professionally cooked scallops I’ve had in a long time. I can’t say I was too surprised as cooking approximately seventy unevenly sized scallops will hardly ever result in the melt-in-your-mouth scallop we all desire. I would have much preferred something a little less ambitious and easily executable to compliment what was a promising dish.

The timing between the different components of the main course arriving took far too long and led to most of the course being cold. The generosity of the chefs was not to go unnoticed here though, as they were happy to serve more on my friends prematurely empty plate.

Onto the finale — the dessert. On offer was a choice of three desserts; an Oreo cheesecake, chocolate spring rolls and green tea ice cream. Being in the fortunate position of having three of us, I was able to try each of them. The Oreo cheesecake was average at best, the standard being comparable to the frozen section at your local supermarket.

Even more disappointing was the white and milk chocolate spring rolls which were wrapped in pastry about 4 times too many, making the desert nothing but ‘bouncy’. Finally, the green tea ice cream was surprisingly very pleasant and refreshing — something I would definitely recommend.

Sapporo Teppanyaki would be great for a fun, informal meal out with a big group of friends but otherwise it would not be an ideal destination for delicate and good quality cuisine.

Work experience bursaries available to students

Applications for a scheme which offers University of Manchester students bursaries to cover the financial costs of work experience are now open for the academic year 2017/2018.

Students can apply for up to £250 or £1,000 depending on their circumstances. The funds can be used to cover related travel, accommodation and/or dependent care costs incurred as a result of undertaking work experience.‌

The aim of the Work Experience Bursary Scheme, run by the University of Manchester’s Careers Service, is to support students who wish to carry out work experience that will contribute to their professional and personal development but are finding it difficult to take up the opportunity that they want.

Tammy Goldfeld, Head of The Careers Service said: “We know that many students want to do a summer internship but are worried about not having enough money to cover their costs, especially students from lower-income households who may not want to incur debt.

“This is why we are so pleased to award work experience bursaries to our students. We want them to gain valuable work experience and not let cost be a barrier.”

To apply for a bursary through the scheme, students have to download and complete an application form available on the Careers Service’s website and send it to [email protected] with “Work Experience Bursary 2018 application” in the subject line.

Applications are considered on a case-by-case basis by a bursary panel and students are likely to hear a decision on their application within seven working days of the closing date.

Since the introduction of the Work Experience Bursary Scheme in 2012, 850 students at the University of Manchester have benefited from the scheme to help them cover the costs of undertaking career-related work experience.

The bursaries have funded diverse work experience opportunities for students ranging from work shadowing within public sector organisations in the North West, to work experience in media outlets in London, to careers-related voluntary experience in Asia and Australia.

Issy Dugan, a first-year Geography student who received a bursary through the scheme, said: “I am so grateful for the work experience bursary. It paid for my flights and accommodation during my stay in Jodhpur, India. I have just got back after spending a month in a Woman’s Empowerment Centre there, something I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do without financial help!

“It was the best experience of my life and has inspired me to continue to pursue my passion for NGO work. I also made some strong connections for the future.”

During the bursary scheme of the academic year 2016/2017, over 150 students received a financial contribution to help cover the costs of travel and accommodation during their work experience.

The bursary fund available to students is limited and the Careers Service encourage early applications for the scheme.

Prior to applying for the scheme, students are encouraged to read the scheme’s full terms and conditions available on the Careers Service’s website.

Review: All the Money in the World

All the Money in the World will arguably be remembered just as much for the Spacey controversy as it will be for its brilliance.

The film had just finished shooting, with Kevin Spacey donning liver-spotted prosthetics to become John Paul Getty. However, after numerous sexual assault allegations were made against the Hollywood titan, Ridley Scott decided to remove all of traces of the disgraced Spacey from the film. Christopher Plummer was brought in, and extensive re-shoots took place, costing an estimated £7.5 million.

Both director and studio were insistent the film met its original release date, and understandably there was suspicion the re-shoots would appear hurried. Thankfully, and presumably to the immense relief and satisfaction of Scott, Plummer is without a doubt the tour-de-force of the movie.

It is 1973, and a young American teenager walks the streets of Rome at night, to be intercepted by a group of men and thrown into a van, blindfolded. The mobster kidnappers demand a 17 million dollar ransom, and it just happens that young John Paul’s grandfather is the billionaire oil tycoon John Paul Getty — the “richest man in the history of the world”. The deal is simple — Getty pays up, and the boy lives, yet the kidnappers and the boy’s mother, Gail (Michelle Williams) underestimate the greed, malice and pride which have consumed the old man.

What follows is a battle of wills between the hostage’s mother, the Italian mob, Mark Wahlberg’s secret agent Fletcher Chase, and Getty. The story itself is compelling enough, and it is surprising a screen adaptation has not been envisaged earlier (although later this year a Danny Boyle-directed TV series will air on FX which follows the same story). Yet Scott has not coasted on the tale’s pulsating narrative arch, and is back to true form after the woeful Alien: Covenant (2017).

The tension and authenticity of the film’s events and setting is outstanding, rivalling that of the Oscar-winning Argo (2012). There is a strong resemblance between All the Money in the World and Affleck’s equally slow-burning thriller, yet the time-shifts in the former give Scott’s most recent blockbuster the edge in terms of depth and intrigue.

Plummer will doubtlessly draw the majority of attention, which may or may not be amplified somewhat by his predecessor’s transgressions, but Michelle Williams by no means plays second fiddle. An actress who is criminally underused in Hollywood cinema, her portrayal of a mother caught between grief, desperation and rage could be described by an endless list of superlatives.

Wahlberg falls somewhat short as a two-dimensional special-ops agent hired by Getty to facilitate the recovery of his grandson, but it is a nice change to see him returning to quality cinema once more after starring in last year’s blockbuster monstrosities Transformers: The Last Knight and Daddy’s Home 2.

The plot at times is forced to cave slightly in order to pave way for narrative progression (a monumental decision by Getty towards the film’s final act appears somewhat out of the blue in order to trigger the resolution), but this is a minor pitfall in what is otherwise an expertly crafted film. Scott’s forte now clearly lies in the real world – his days of fantasy and science fiction are behind him – yes we’re looking at you Exodus and Covenant.

Likely to be remembered for all the wrong reasons, despite the controversy, All the Money in the World is everything a crime-thriller should be. Scott gambled in order to save the project, and it paid off spectacularly.

4/5

Proton beam cancer treatment to start in Manchester

Treatment is set to start from August 2018 at The Christie. The project is now in its last stages, a culmination of years of planning and fundraising, with the government injecting £250 million. There will also be a centre opening at London’s University College Hospital.

There is currently only a low-energy form of this therapy available in the UK to treat eye tumours. High-energy proton beam therapy will be able to treat many more forms of cancer. At present, patients have to travel abroad to receive this cutting-edge therapy.  The two centres will be the first in the UK to offer this treatment on such a scale.

Proton beam therapy uses charged particles instead of x-rays to treat cancers. The protons are generated in a cyclotron, a particle accelerator weighing as much as a small aircraft. The beam then fires particles at 100,000 miles per second, two thirds the speed of light.

A five-year study published in 2016 by a team of doctors from the Massachusetts General Hospital found that proton beam therapy is just as effective as conventional radiotherapy. But it is the potential for reduced side effects that make proton beam therapy so desirable.

The x-rays used in conventional radiotherapy pass all the way through the body, which has the risk of damaging sensitive tissues around and behind the tumour. Whereas, in proton beam therapy, high-energy particles stop at the tumour, therefore saving more healthy tissue.

Dr Ed Smith, a paediatric consultant who has been close to the project from early on, looks forward to the prospects the new treatment will bring.

“Young patients would benefit most from this treatment because their tissues are growing and are very sensitive to radiation.

“But there are also tumours that sometimes sit next to quite critical structures in the body, say at the base of the skull or around the spine.

“And this technology enables us to give a treatment dose to those patients while avoiding these critical structures.”

Review: Group Thereapy comedy showcase

I walked into Gorilla feeling somewhat apprehensive. The Group Therapy comedy showcase was a show with seven acts, all of whom will be near enough completely unknown to the audience. It was enough to strike fear into the best of people. I had flashbacks to an open mic night at the Jam Tree in Clapham, South London, during which one of the acts used his entire set to shout about why the IRA was a respectable institution that we should all support. Shuddering, I went to my seat. I sat a few rows back — I wasn’t in the mood to be picked on.

But the club was set up in September 2012 by Ros Bell and Michael Clapham  in order to address awkward or ruined performances, such as when hen and stag dos shout louder than the performers themselves. So I told myself to have more faith, as surely they knew what they were doing.

One thing I should point out here as well is that I am currently committed to dry January. This may seem slightly unrelated (and even a bit of a boast, which it definitely is) but this fact actually holds great significance. Comedy shows are historically boozy affairs, and are encouraged to be so, as the more drunk a person is, the more likely they’re going to find stuff funny. Being stone cold sober meant that I was looking at the show through a much more critical lens – the jokes would have to be genuinely funny to get a laugh out of me.

Photo: Jack Kirwin @JK Photography
Jess Fostekew – Photo: Jack Kirwin @JK Photography

First, on walked our compare for the evening, Jess Fostekew. She was extremely energetic and, as suspected and was a stickler  for audience participation, so I felt very smug about my choice of seat. I loved her raspy tone though, and felt as though she spoke to me on a very personal level when she gave her take on the world of relationships… let’s just say my laughter was extremely bittersweet. So we were off to a good start.

Photo: Jack Kirwin @JK Photography
Rosco McLelland – Photo: Jack Kirwin @JK Photography

Next on was the first of six acts, Scottish Rosco McLelland. Whilst he started on good footing, he tended to lose his trail of thought, so I felt as though I was being pulled in a million different directions. No one joke felt like it had a strong enough punch line. It was a shame, but I was hoping that things could only get better.

Photo: Jack Kirwin @JK Photography
Avery Edison – Photo: Jack Kirwin @JK Photography

And so they did! Next up was Avery Edison, a trans woman with a monotonous voice and a seemingly very shy demeanour. However, from the very start of her set, I knew we would get on: she told us that she used to start shows by showing the audience her penis, but she can’t anymore as that’s “illegal because society hates confident women.” Girl, I feel you.

Sticking with what she knew, her whole set was almost entirely comprised of her experience of being a trans woman. Not only was it an eye opening insight into a life that many people fail to understand, but it was devastatingly hilarious. She described her hormone treatment as “a war of attrition” on her genitals (I’ll give you a minute to conjure up the image) and, after telling the audience she is a sex worker, described how unbelievably proud she is of the fact that she leaves 50 per cent of her clients without an orgasm, as it symbolises an act of rebellion for her. I honestly think she’s fighting the good fight for all women out there who have left sexual encounters unsatisfied – please, keep up the good work.

She ended her set awkwardly but to be honest, it didn’t matter. Avery not only made me laugh but created a much needed open and candid dialogue about topics that for too long have been shushed and kept in the dark. It was an utterly commendable performance, and I hope I see lots more of her on the circuit.

Photo: Jack Kirwin @JK Photography
Neil Harris – Photo: Jack Kirwin @JK Photography

Next was Neil Harris, a self-confessed geek-type with social anxiety. This was immediately apparent when he described being asked for to show his ID at Tesco as “a social interaction he could do without” — a sentiment I entirely agree with. He was extremely easy to relate to as a performer, as demonstrated by his long-winded explanation of why going to Subway is enough to send anyone into an anxious sweat. We’ve all been there — who needs that much choice?!

Photo: Jack Kirwin @JK Photography
Jonathon Collins – Photo: Jack Kirwin @JK Photography

Then Jonathon Collins took to the stage. His entrance was, for want of a better word, extremely OTT and overbearing. He set my teeth on edge from the very beginning. But that was probably the point. It was like when you see a car crash on the side of the road – you try as hard as you can to look anywhere else but you just can’t seem to tear your eyes away from the horror in front of you. However, as his set went on, I truly warmed to him, not least because of his accurate description of why the concept of coming out to your parents is very weird (“mum, dad, I just want to tell you… how I like to reach orgasm”). By the end of his set, I hated myself for my original judgement. Never judge a book by its cover or, in this case, never judge a transvestite comic by his terrifying entrance.

Photo: Jack Kirwin @JK Photography
Amy Gledhill – Photo: Jack Kirwin @JK Photography

The penultimate act was Amy Gledhill, and boy, did I love her. From Hull (and rightly embarrassed about it), she had the whole room in stitches from the get go. Her description of the anticipation of what might happen on one’s 3rd date I think resonated with every single person in the room. She was warm and lit the whole room up with her smile. Move aside Sarah Millican, there’s a new northern lass on the block, and she’s ready to de-throne you.

Photo: Jack Kirwin @JK Photography
Matt Ewins – Photo: Jack Kirwin @JK Photography

And lastly, we had Matt Ewins. Hands down, this was the most inventive and imaginative comedy set I have ever seen. Its main innovation was a reel of home-edited video that made up the central tenet of his story arc. It was incredibly silly, focusing on his love of adventure and the need to retrieve an amulet from a deserted island in order to save the museum he works for from bankruptcy (you really had to be there), but it was so clever at the same time. Whilst my comedic preferences tend to fall into the hyper-realistic category, this complete deviance from the norm was a welcome break in one’s monotonous routine, and completely set itself apart from any other comedy set I’ve seen.

Photo: Jack Kirwin @JK Photography
Matt Ewins – Photo: Jack Kirwin @JK Photography

It was an amazing crossover of mediums, and I had to admire his talent across all of them. I’ve never seen anything like it, and likely never will again. His timing and delivery was exquisite. If I had to lay one criticism at Matt’s feet, it was his rushed ending, but that probably had more to do with the fact that I didn’t want it to end more than anything else.

My overwhelming pessimism at the start of the evening was completely unfounded. For two short hours, I had been transported out of my dull routine and into a silly, lively and fun world of comedy

Jess closed the evening and bade us all goodnight, and as I walked out of Gorilla, I felt overwhelmingly sad. Mainly because I knew that in two days time, I would have to go back to work, and that I probably wouldn’t laugh as hard as I did that night for a very, very long time. When’s the next one…?

Live Review: The Hunna

Saturday 13th January, O2 Academy Brixton

The last show of their biggest UK tour yet, The Hunna walked out to a sold out Brixton Academy last Saturday. Screaming fans greeted the four lads from Hertfordshire as they ran on stage for “the best night of their life”, as voiced by energetic front man Ryan Potter (also known as Valentino).

Breaking into their new release ‘Summer,’ at odds with the freezing cold weather, fans belted out the lyrics, setting the scene for a noisy evening captured by the chant, “We’re so loud, can’t turn us down” sang in their unreleased ‘You Don’t Want It With Me.’

Frontman, ‘Valentino’ told the story of seeing his favourite band You Me At Six years before at the age of fifteen with best friend and lead guitarist Dan Dorney (also known as BD 100). They couldn’t believe that now they were playing at the notorious Brixton Academy.

The band gave the non-stop mosh pits a break with emotional love song ‘Sycamore Tree,’ which saw phone lights shine bright throughout the crowd. Their recognisable musical style featuring catchy tunes were evident with fans singing every lyric.

The rockers closed with a fan favourite, ‘She’s Casual,’ before returning for an encore wearing matching jackets spelling “DARE”, the title of their upcoming album set for release on 25th May.

The band topped off the night with their number one single ‘Bonfire,’ met by flames and smoke to match the lyrics. A great first gig of 2018.

The Hunna now travel to Australia ahead of their album release with friends Coasts who also supported the shows in the UK. Good luck guys!

7/10

Preview: The Howl & The Hum

The Howl & The Hum are an enchanting York-based quartet comprised of lead singer Sam Griffiths, bassist Bradley Blackwell, lead guitarist Conor Hirons, and drummer Jack Williams. Each polished musician cultivates a sound so intense and striking that you would hardly believe a small city such as York would have the capacity to produce it.

From beginning their musical journey performing on various open mic nights to recently featuring on BBC Radio 6, it is clear that The Hum are destined for success in 2018 as affirmed by Tom Robinson himself, claiming “The Howl and The Hum are a seriously great band, from whom you will be hearing a great deal more in the coming months.”

Having released their most recent single ‘Portrait I’ and announcing their second ever tour covering eight dates across country, there’s really no excuse but to get down to a show and indulge yourself in only what can be described as a very surreal yet somehow familiar warmth of nostalgia and vitality. Whether that be a welcomed feeling or even one that may leave you slightly uncomfortable, The Hum’s performance as a collective entity will leave your mouth dry and your stomach churned.

Due to frontman Griffith’s tendency to draw inspiration from short stories in creating lyrics, it is no surprise that each track The Howl & The Hum have written could feature in the next few decades worth of drama and thriller movies. This atmospheric, cinematic style they have concocted means that their live performances are incomparable to anything any modern band is currently offering. Their artistic flexibility in how they choose to perform their discography for each show keeps The Hum dynamic and unpredictable.

The Howl & The Hum are a band you don’t want regret having not seen when they were still playing intimate venues. Do your mind and soul a favour, allow Sam Griffiths and his musical counterparts to envelope you in a sound that will haunt you for months and leave you craving more.

I mean if a musical hotspot like Manchester has left their Jimmy’s show this weekend on ‘waiting list only’, you know you’re in for something worthwhile.

UK wind farm constraint payments ‘scandal’

The Renewable Energy Foundation (REF) has revealed that wind farms were paid more than £100 million last year to switch off their turbines — an increase from the £6 million paid out in 2012.

The National Grid pays all renewable and non-renewable energy generators ‘constraint payments’ to alter their production, so as to avoid the blackouts that both over- and under-supply would cause. The gas industry (which supplies the UK with 42 per cent of its electricity) was paid almost twice as much as the wind industry in 2017.

The majority of the UK’s main wind farms are in Scotland, an area that has high energy output but relatively low energy demand. However, large quantities of energy are unable to be stored, and the grid connections between Scotland and England are not adequate to take on the excess energy from Scotland. Larger wind farms are part of the energy sector’s Balancing Mechanism, a system used by the National Grid to balance these differing levels of supply and demand. As demand fluctuates throughout the day, the supply must continually match it every second.

In order for this system to work, the National Grid takes bids from energy firms to alter the amount of energy they supply. For conventional energy firms that use fossil fuels, it is cheaper to pay the National Grid to produce less energy than it would be to continue to use up their supply of fossil fuels. However, renewable energy has no fuel costs and therefore would not benefit from such a system.

Instead, wind farms and renewable energy firms propose positive bids to the National Grid, they tell the National Grid that they will turn off their wind farms if they are paid a certain amount per megawatt hour. These payments are known as constraint payments, which have been widely criticised.

However, some, including Leo Hickman writing in The Guardian, have raised concerns about the REF’s agenda in providing such statistics. Despite its name, it is frequently cited by publications mostly opposed to wind-farm development such as The Telegraph and the Daily Mail. It is also supported by anti-wind campaigners, such as former Ulster Unionist MP and former British Airways “press supremo” David Burnside, and has “impressive links to City financiers and energy consultants.”

There has been some legislation implemented in an attempt to prevent constraint payments getting too high since this ‘wind farm scandal’ first surfaced in 2010, in the form of the Transmission Constraint Licence Condition (TCLC) which was introduced in 2012 and was made a permanent condition in 2017.

Despite these efforts to control the compensation payments, and reducing the added costs passed on to consumers by the National Grid, many wind farms were still placing excessive positive bids, with a current average compensation payment of around £70 per MWh to switch off, almost 40 per cent higher than when they produce energy.

Wind farms are on the rise in the UK, and by 2020 it is thought that wind farms will grow to produce 10 per cent of the UK’s energy. This rise is especially prominent after the COP23 in November 2017 advocated an accelerated reduction in coal reduction, with the UK announcing that it plans to have phased out coal entirely by 2025. With the number of wind farms rising, many are calling on the National Grid to update its infrastructure in order to avoid excessive constraint payments.

 

Review: Hatch Home

Eight young poets dressed all in white formed a tight-knit ensemble, each taking their turn to speak their poetry. ‘Happiness is here if you want it’ was a recurring line which linked the poems together, giving the piece focus and grounding.

The poems covered such ground that there was something there to resonate with everyone. Some spoke about the government, some talked of coming of age, and I haven’t decided what some other poems were about. The language was so beautiful, and their metaphors were so carefully constructed that I think in order to appreciate their work fully, I would have needed to pause and think about each poem for a good few minutes before watching the next one.

But that wasn’t the evening was about. The poems were stitched together seamlessly, and the performers bounced off one another so well that, for me, it became a piece about the collective rather than the individuals. The ensemble work was subtle; the cast were always on stage supporting what was being said, sometimes offering a gentle movement or echo of a line to create impact. But for me, the most memorable thing about Hatch Home was the passion with which every performer spoke their lines, and the wealth of talent which was so evident in their poetry.

ArtBox: a student-run collective’s silent charity auction

The opportunity to buy affordable art is a rare one, particularly for students and young people. The ArtBox silent auction, hosted by Funraising at the end of December 2017, made this experience a reality, whilst raising money for a good cause.

Funraising — a collective platform for creative fundraising — should be applauded for delivering such a well-tuned event, which raised a staggering £1119.81 for the charity Manchester Mind.

At the very least, ArtBox offered an important platform for local and emerging artists. Although each piece was displayed anonymously (unlabelled), the array of artworks available served as a reminder of how much good art is being made at street-level.

Even for people who attend arts-based events regularly, there is always the fear that they might feel slightly hostile or unwelcoming. This couldn’t have been further from the truth at ArtBox. The evening was cosy and inviting, and the intimacy of the bidding space made for a light-heartedly competitive atmosphere.

For those who aren’t sure how a silent auction works: anyone can place a bid on an item by writing down how much they would be willing to pay for it, along with their name and phone number. Whoever puts down the highest offer wins the item in question. At ArtBox there were over fifty artworks to choose from — all with no guidelines nor recommendations as to the prices that should be paid for them.

All fifty-four pieces sold with at least one bid each, which really says something about the quality of the artworks on offer. All bases were covered, with artworks varying from thoughtful and emotive paintings, to sketchy still-life mantelpiece prints, to boldly coloured illustration pieces.

For £30 I became the proud owner of two very different pieces: a dark memento-mori collage by Tam Millar and a sixties-style red-head (reproduction of a painting) by Madison Kelley.

 

Photo: Florrie Badley
Collage by Tam Millar Photo: Florrie Badley

 

Photo: Florrie Badley
Portrait by Madison Kelley Photo: Florrie Badley

 

The auction alone raised £816 for the charity Manchester Mind. On the night, Joe Brennan, Ronald Raygun and Persian Hugs played live music, which brought additional layers of warmth, artistry and relaxation to the occasion. Bids were beginning at £5 and under, with some exceeding the £50+ mark.

As the evening went on, an additional £303.81 was raised by postcard sales, donations, and the ‘PostBox’ after-party – which took the event from Solomon’s Café Bar in Withington to Indigo Cellar Bar down the road. ArtBox proved wholeheartedly that art doesn’t have to be ‘serious’ to be taken seriously.

Funraising as a whole have successfully raised the issue mental health and well-being within the creative community. The event’s choice of charity brought these two things into alignment: creativity is essential to making a difference. Art has, and will always have, the ability to transform lives — not just for the artists who are making it.

It would be great to see this initiative transformed into more than just a one-off event. We need more friendly spaces for young friendly faces to buy and sell artworks at affordable prices.

Funraising’s returns to Indigo on Thursday 8th February for PostBox: Second Delivery, for a night of funky sounds and the opportunity to win exclusive art.

Review: 1761

If you ever hire a van from the Manchester Students’ Union you have to sign a waiver that says, “I will not take this van to a picket line.” The Union gives you a good rate on minivans, and if you ever need to take a bunch of people somewhere I’d recommend it. Though, I can’t say I thought much about the Union or the University’s stance on striking until I went for dinner last Wednesday, where a group of friends and I began to talk about last October’s University staff strike.

Organised by The Universities and Colleges Union (UCU), academics refrained from teaching on a Monday and Tuesday in late October to protest compulsory redundancies as well as inefficient redundancy proposals.
I remember feeling a bit hard done by. You spend X amount of time reading a novel or novels only for it not to be taught that week. Then come January you still get examined on that topic. But the strike worked. On the 8th of November The Mancunion reported that “the University of Manchester has announced that there have been enough voluntary redundancies to avoid compulsory redundancies in three faculties.”

Needless to say, my dining companions told me to pull my selfish head out my ass and show some solidarity, as I cowered behind my napkin.

So, from industrial action to industrial revolution. 1761 is a new eatery on Booth St and the name is the year in which The Bridgewater Canal started bringing coal into Manchester, being a key point in Manchester’s industrial timeline. On 1761’s website a statement reads, “drawing inspiration from the Industrial revolution and that warm Mancunian spirit.”

There is always a funny relationship between restaurant’s online narratives and what actually goes on in the restaurant. Another of their web tag-lines is, “Fresh, Seasonal, Locally sourced, Homemade, British Food.” This is the kind of mission statement I want to hear from Mancunian restaurants, places that are looking around us and within us to drawing inspiration. However, and I don’t want to be a dick, but you can’t claim British seasonality and then put asparagus on the menu in January. They come chard along, with cobnuts, Parma ham, and a crispy duck egg. Admittedly, that dish was off the night we went, along with all the oyster and one of the steaks. Perhaps they are rethinking the January asparagus dish, that comes with ham, from Parma, in Italy.

But, and this a big resounding turn the ship around but, a large part of the menu is unequivocally Brit, and the snacks and starters present these icons of Brit eating in a brilliant, innovative and moorish manner. And if you want to gorge of moorish things, just go to 1761 and surround yourself with the entirety of the snack menu. The popcorn cockles are brilliant, surprisingly clean and well battered. I’d never had a pickled onion before, I can’t say murky jars in pubs and chip shops leave one wanting, but the onions they do here are small, baby onions pickled in IPA. They are sweet, crunchy and above all things tasty.

I feel very deeply about scotch eggs, as I’m sure a lot of people do. I have eaten more supermarket grade scotch eggs then I care to think about. It was nice to see a scotch egg on the menu that was built with fish rather than sausage meat or black pudding. It was a lovely dish, a perfectly cooked egg wrapped in a salt cod, fish cake mix and lightly battered. The whole thing was cut well by samphire and tartare sauce.

Weirdly, much of the publicity that surrounded 1761 before it opened was to do with a giant 118,000 litre marine fish tank that’s being built in the restaurant’s subterranean bar, Lily’s. A nod to Lily Bollinger, member of the Champagne family and empire. MCR Confidential seemed pretty sure the tank would be full of Steve Irwin’s nemesis, the sting ray, but as the tank and the bar are still in the final stages of construction we will all have to wait and see what goes behind the glass.

What Lily Bollinger and exotic fish have to do with the industrial revolution is anyone’s guess but 1761 and Lily’s is unequivocally a good thing for Manchester’s ever emergent food scene. A lot of money has been funneled into an enigmatic, charming, and independent food and drink outlet, and a piece of great real estate has gone to something Mancunian, and not to an offshoot London chain.

The service was ace as well.

Artwork By Freddie Hill: https://www.behance.net/fred95