Sam Griffiths sauntered on the stage just as the lights cut to black and re-lit to portray the intriguing, cinematic quartet The Howl & The Hum. The sold-out Fulford Arms awaited their first cue to be plunged into The Hum’s world of curious narratives, rip-roaring riffs, and a performance that would linger in the consciousness for months to come.
The Howl & The Hum exhibited their electrifying anthology, consisting of both previously released material, such as the screeching ‘Manea’, newest single ‘Portrait I’, an EP heavily supported by Tom Robinson on his BBC6 show, and anxiously awaited new tracks.
The new songs that The Howl & The Hum have to offer really demonstrate their versatility and Sam’s compelling lyricism. From the heart-breaking, delicate, nostalgic ‘Sweet Fading Silver’ to the raw, angsty, frenzied performance of ‘Murder’, this band compile perfectly executed literary works together with the embellishment of howling guitar licks and heart-resonating drum beats.
The Howl & The Hum’s vivid storytelling certainly isn’t going unnoticed, given their rightly deserved spots on a vast range of upcoming festivals over the summer months, including Latitude, Barn on the Farm, Standon Calling, Citadel, Liverpool Sound City, and Live at Leeds, the latter just 35 days away (but who’s counting…right?).
Given the quartet’s relatively short time-span as The Howl and The Hum, only now reaching eighteen months, it is fair to say the band have succeeded in acquiring a ‘cult’ fan base and impressive support.
Rather than describe The Howl & The Hum’s work as a collection of songs, we should continue to refer to their discography as an anthology or collection of literary pieces. Because of vocalist Sam Griffiths’ ability to concoct entirely different discourses for different characters across songs, the term ‘songs’ seems not an entirely accurate description of their work. This is what makes their leading distinct, quirky, and incredibly fascinating soundscape.
Frontman Sam is undeniably a character himself. Arm, finger, and ankle spasms are coupled with melting facial expressions from the very moment the band play their first chord. Their opening alt-pop piece ‘Hall of Fame’ eased the audience into their set, but by the three-quarter mark the audience was plunged through heavy dystopian fictions of wanting to be a shark, the consequences of shooting at a storm, and (a personal favourite) their contrasting performances of ‘Murder’ and ‘Sweet Fading Silver’. The live performance of both anthems presented the crowd with the sheer enthusiasm, complexity, and passion these four musicians possess. Sam’s disposition almost acts as a caricature captivating the viewer as they’re left powerless to look away.
As they say, there’s a fine line between genius and insanity.
Rising Chilean Director Sebastian Lelio’s recent masterpiece has hit cinemas this year and it is easy to see why it has won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
A Fantastic Woman tells the story of Marina Vidal (Daniela Vega), a transgender woman whose world is unexpectedly flipped upside down having been suspected of murdering her lover, Orlando (Francisco Reyes).
Not only must Marina handle the grief of such a traumatic loss, but she must then face up to both the prejudiced views of Orlando’s family regarding the couple’s relationship and the harassment from the cold-hearted Detective Cortés (Amparo Noguera). This tender romance turned tragic drama takes you on an emotional journey, whilst posing questions of love against identity and reputation.
Perhaps the most poignant element of the film is how Lelio tackles the micro-aggressions that transgender people must deal with on a daily basis. Orlando’s family is thrown into disarray when they discover who was last to be with him at the time of his death. With a combination of uncomfortable silences and incessant close-up shots of discomfited facial expressions, Lelio depicts Marina’s constant struggle to affirm her identity against the suspicions and stereotypes — sometimes coming from absolute strangers.
The first utterance many of Orlando’s relatives can respond with are a mix of flippant remarks such as “Have you had the surgery yet?”, or “I don’t know what I’m seeing,” or even “Do I say him or her?” As the catastrophic events unfurl, we see Marina’s character change from a sassy cabaret singer singing a fiery version of Héctor Lavoe’s “Tu amor es un periódico de ayer” [Your love is yesterday’s newspaper], to a woman isolated and rejected by those around her, unable to move forward.
A series of vicious altercations draw the audience into the distress that Marina experiences as a transgender woman living in Santiago, an issue that Vega herself has had to tackle for her whole life. “In the country where I was born I do not have the possibility of having my own name on my official documents,” she tells the Santiago Times. There is an escalating tension within the film that is, admittedly, at times, very difficult to watch and triggers an overdue sense of compassion for anybody who might be in her same situation.
A Fantastic Woman is a captivating drama about the search for acceptance and comfort amid the discrimination that comes from being different. Lelio addresses these issues creatively, allowing the audience to fully understand Marina’s struggle. Vega’s heart-warming performance leaves you moved by her personal experiences and by the end of the film proves to us how fantastic a woman she really is.
Students from the University of Manchester are beating the rest of the country away in their purchasing of sex toys.
Manchester University students spent £8,549 on sex toys in 2017, according to new data from Ann Summers, making them the fourth biggest spenders in the nation.
Oxford University nailed the top spot, spending a total of £11,266 on sex toys and bondage, despite only having around half the student population of the University of Manchester. The University of Cambridge rounded second base with £9,410.
Four of the five top-rated universities in the UK made the top buyers table, which Ann Summers asserts may suggest “a link between intelligence and sex drive.”
They reference a study which apparently claims: “sex can actually help you develop stronger cognitive skills, including verbal fluency, number sequencing and recall”.
A second year student at the University of Manchester speculated that Oxford and Cambridge students might have come up on top for sex toy purchases because “they’re too busy with work to flirt, so they have to please themselves.”
The Rose Gold Pebble Vibrator was the most popular toy by purchased by Manchester students at Ann Summers.
A University of Manchester student who owns the Rose Gold Pebble Vibrator said: “I feel like it’s very good value for money, it has lots of settings. I would definitely recommend it to anyone. It’s like the best first vibrator.”
The sex toy retailer also revealed that 9-11pm was the most popular time to shop, which they say suggests “students are taking a break from their late night study sessions to indulge their fantasies.”
A Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) student said: “they’re probably all virgins”.
MMU did not appear on the league table of top sex toy spenders.
The University of Leeds and the University of Liverpool straddled Manchester at third and fifth place respectively in the top buyers table, spending £8,633 and £7,128 at Ann Summers. The University of Hertfordshire came last.
UoM politics and sociology student Heather Proctor told The Mancunion: “While the whole thing is hilarious, there isn’t necessarily a correlation between intelligence and sex drive. People who go to more prestigious universities tend to come from more privileged and wealthier backgrounds and therefore are more likely to have the disposable income to spend on fancy sex toys.
“The idea that this shows that intelligent people have a higher sex drive is interesting, because it’s in complete contrast to the media narrative of uneducated, working class women being ‘breeders’ who pop out babies all the time having a high sex drive. These are two completely conflicting accounts that show how ideas about sex are constructed depending on who is saying it, but more importantly, who we’re talking about.
“Sex seems to be cute and quirky when it’s the middle and upper classes, but completely unacceptable and shows a lack of intelligence as soon as a working class mother is in the picture. Of course, these juxtaposed narratives are coming from two different sources, but still highlights how we perceive different social groups.”
An Ann Summers ‘Sexpert’ stated: “we’re pleased that our sex toys are helping students to work hard and play harder. It’s interesting that spending is highest at the top universities, but we’ve found that… all over the UK people are becoming much more relaxed and empowered in their sexuality.”
A registered nurse and lecturer in Infection Prevention and Control at Manchester University falsely alleged to having inoperable brain cancer, ovarian cancer and Multiple Sclerosis to extend time for her PhD thesis.
Over four years, Deborah Jane Ward,repeatedly misled colleagues about the state of her health and has been struck off the nursing register as a result.
During a disciplinary hearing with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) on the 26th of March, it was also revealed that the GP website she used to support her claims was fake.
The NMC commented that Ms Ward’s “elaborate and complex deception'” since 2015 “failed to act as a role model to student nurses.”
The fitness to practise panel ruled that she should be struck off following an 18-month interim suspension order to cover the statutory appeal period, although she was not present nor represented at the hearing.
In October of 2013, Ms Ward emailed her line manager explaining she had a brain tumour and that more time was required to complete her PhD due to the side effects of radiotherapy.
She contacted again in March of 2014 claiming to have ovarian cancer and that surgery and chemotherapy treatment thus owed her extensions.
In both instances false GP letters were given to support her claims.
In May of 2015, Ms Ward informed the NMC panel that her brain tumour was ‘”inoperable” however was accepted onto a clinical trial in Leeds. Later in 2015, she made the announcement of a Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis.
In August of 2015 when referred by her line managers to occupational health officers, permission to contact her GP was requested. She provided a consent form which included details of a “fictitious GP practise” and then “created or arranged the creation” of a fake GP website.
An occupational health doctor became concerned about the authenticity of the documents as their ‘”length and style” didn’t seem “genuine”. When it was suggested to Ms Ward the documents had been fabricated in a follow up appointment she became “very upset”.
She filed her resignation the following day and in subsequent appointments ‘admitted that the cancers and multiple sclerosis had no medical basis’.
In a statement to the NMC Ms Ward commented: “Dishonesty in any form is inexcusable and unacceptable as a registrant and reflects badly on the nursing professions so I understand and agree that this cannot be tolerated by the NMC.”
She went on “Obviously this saddens me as I worked diligently as a nurse and nurse teacher for over 20 years but there is no one to blame for the situation that I find myself in but myself.”
In their concluding remarks, the NMC said “her dishonesty was carried out to secure an advantage for herself… this was not dishonesty undertaken on the spur of the moment nor could it be described as an isolated act or a momentary lapse… It was a course of conduct which she maintained over a long period and required elaborate preparation.”
“Ms Ward must have had multiple opportunities to tell the truth in the course of four years and report her genuine health condition(s) but did not do so… Only when directly challenged did Ms Ward finally admit her deception.”
The University of Manchester were contacted but refused to comment.
In 2015, game distributors and developers Valve released the long-rumoured Steam Machines — a gaming platform that promised to unify the laid-back, “pick up and play” philosophy of consoles, with high-end performance PC hardware. Just three years later, they have been taken off the Steam homepage completely.
When the head of Valve, Gabe Newell, first pitched the ‘Steam Box’ as it was then called, the aim of the project was to reel in a new audience and generation of gamers that no longer feared the big undertaking of running a gaming PC: instead they could purchase a one-size-fits-all bit of kit that would exist as a baseline from which to run any game you like.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The rhetoric had always been one of elitism and the whole ‘PC Master Race’ movement that found such traction on sites such as Reddit; there were too many components, too many modules, specifications and variables to consider, and this alienated many who found the prospect more of a chore or a long-term investment than a way to blow off steam — no pun intended.
There had been a lot of build-up and hype since their initial announcement in 2013, including a series of delays and setbacks in production, as well as some evasive marketing that teased 14 different variants of Steam Machines, as well as a valuation of just under $2,000 worth of components per console. Then, finally, the first version of the supposedly revolutionary game system was released in November of 2015.
To explain this slightly convoluted production process a bit more, the most relative context you can compare it too is that of the Chromebook: a piece of tech that centres around its software but its manufactured by various different companies who handle the hardware — hence the 14 different options we already mentioned above. In the Steam Machines case, the first variant was built by Alienware and unfortunately, the debut console got mixed reviews and little else. Until now, anyway.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons & Flickr
Last week, despite being at the top of the list on the hardware section and one of the most frequently featured links on the site, it was noticed that Valve’s Steam Machines have now been removed from all homepage tabs. Much like the aftermath of the console’s shaky launch period, the company has done little to comment on the future of the console, other than diverting attention by explaining the delisting as simply ‘based on user traffic’.
Whilst they have not been removed completely, the console has been assigned to proverbial witness protection and is hiding out in the darkest recesses of the website. Moreover, there has been little in the way of communication from the Valve Corporation, which with the recent scandal surrounding Steam’s sheer lack of moderation — so much so that it has allowed for empty game folders to be sold to unfortunate customers — is of little surprise.
It is still unclear whether under-performing sales and a spout of diversionary tactics spells the discontinuation of the system altogether; however, with this most recent cover attempt to obscure the Steam Machine’s withdrawal from the homepage, it seems as though the company might be going back to the drawing board, or at least into damage limitation, for the foreseeable future.
University of Manchester staff will go on strike during the first week of teaching after the Easter break.
The UCU announced on Thursday 29th of March that 12 UK universities would be affected by a full week of industrial action, to be carried out between the 16th and the 20th of April. The University of Manchester is among the 12, which also includes the University of Oxford, the University of Leeds, and the University of St Andrews.
A UCU news release stated that these strike days could be extended and expanded to 65 universities, “aimed at targeting the last weeks of teaching, and the exam and assessment period.”
14 days of strikes took place at the University of Manchester before the Easter break, between the 22nd of February and the 16th of March, seeing hundreds of teaching staff cancel lessons, postpone practical sessions and push back deadlines.
On 13th March, staff from the University of Manchester unambiguously decided to reject the ‘transitional benefit arrangement’ agreement that had been proposed by UUK and UCU.
The UCU pledges to continue with strike action until the dispute is resolved. If an agreement is not reached in the coming weeks, they stated “there would be action targeted to hit teaching and the exam and assessment period at all 65 universities, to be confirmed at a later date.
“How many strike days institutions would face during the exam and assessment period would depend on any earlier action in April aimed at teaching.”
Despite the university emailing students with reassurances that they “will seek to ensure that the impact on students is minimised while at the same time maintaining high academic standards,” the general consensus from students is that they are worried about their futures.
Lauren Coleman, a second year Genetics student, stated: “We’re having to teach ourselves subjects that lecturers can’t guarantee are not going to be examined, which is really stressful and frustrating.”
Dorian Loetzer from the Take Action! UoM campaign, which now has over 600 members on its Facebook group, said: “We continue to stand in full solidarity with staff” regarding the newly announced strike action.
He went on to say, “considering the severity of the cancellations at hand, we have also elected to escalate our response.” This amplified response is a way to ensure that “students will not be the voiceless victims of this process.”
The university has been approached for comment regarding the impact this newest wave of industrial action will have on students.
It would be easy to arrive at the gig of an ex-One Direction member with expectations of pop and cheese. However, with Niall being one of the two members who have seemingly found their own style and sound within the group — Louis being the other — and having heard several of his solo songs and enjoyed them, it was clear he could deliver a night that was his alone.
He did. From the sweet ingénu of the band, Niall has blossomed into a confident presence whose rawness, honesty, and sense of humour are very encouraging.
Far from huddling in his old mould to please the many screaming girls in the audience, Niall chatted and joked between songs and could be quite blunt, having the guts to ask before an emotional song to “take your phone and put it in your pocket, and let’s make some memories. Real ones”. Not everybody obeyed, but the number of annoying white screens did reduce for a few lovely minutes.
Gone are the days of standing and smiling demurely behind a mic with his bandmates. Niall danced and rocked out with his guitar, embracing the music and exuding pure energy and joy. His guitar skills were promising, and the overall folksy image suited him down to the ground.
He also sat briefly at the piano – he admitted he isn’t hugely proficient at it but believes it is the best way to share a certain song with us. Not many could have minded how patchy some of the early notes are: Niall was accepting his vulnerability and turned it into a display of strength, and he owned the moment. His band was talented and cohesive, especially the fiddle player, who really added something special.
The stage design generally really worked. There were a few instances of unnecessary strobing, and towards the end, the background lights spelt out Niall’s initials in a way that was slightly tacky. However, mostly he was bathed in a warm, reddish glow and there was a sense of intimacy — as if the crowd were sitting around a fire listening to him play. With his album entitled Flicker, this seemed very appropriate.
On the downside, a lot of the songs were samey. However, through his performance, Niall did make each number that little bit different and memorable, and through his introductions, there was a sense of what each means to him, which helped us to connect to them, too.
Overall, he gave off a vibe of cosiness and hope. He is able to embrace who he is, what he wants to play, and how he wants to make people feel. Great things are ahead for Niall Horan.
A group of around thirty University of Manchester students met for the first public meeting of the Take Action! UoM Campaign, demanding mitigation and compensation for students in light of recent UCU strike action. The group is led by first year Politics and Anthropology student Jack Swan, and included a variety of undergraduates and postgraduates.
The campaign, which now as over 600 student members on its Facebook group, met in Squirrel’s Bar. They covered a spectrum of opinions regarding financial compensation, with Masters students feeling particularly strongly that they should receive some money back from the university. However, the goal of the Take Action! UoM Campaign is for students to look past their differences and work together towards the one thing they all agree they want: mitigation.
Swan voices two major requests from the group: firstly, that students get a voice in any decisions made regarding mitigation, and secondly that they are involved in any decisions regarding the allocation of funding and financial compensation.
Speaking later, Swan told The Mancunion: “My main concern is that although everyone in the team has their sympathies with the strike action, it’s currently between the lecturers and the university, and regardless of who wins between the lecturers and the university, it’s the students who have lost out.
“I feel it is unfair for students to be acted upon in such a way and for our loyalties to be taken for granted in such a way. We have an opportunity and a responsibility to organise ourselves and push for our own interest, which may involve compensation, but certainly involves mitigation.”
There was a verbal consensus of support for lecturers. The majority of students’ anger was directed at the university, with many expressing disappointment that the university had the power to stop the strikes, but chose not to.
One student fighting for financial compensation was David, an MA International Relations student. David told The Mancunion that he had missed dissertation meetings and core content lectures due to the strikes. Referring to the university’s response to calls for compensation, he stated: “It’s invalid to say that you can’t put a price on it. My degree costs £1,500 more than a Masters degree in Politics. They’ve put a price on it already, so they cannot say that it is impossible to put a price on what we have missed.”
The University of Manchester has so far refused to compensate students for lost tuition time. A spokesperson previously stated that “since we charge a composite fee for our courses, we cannot reimburse for specific elements of missed teaching and assessment.”
They emphasised, however, that the University will “consider the impact and consequences of the industrial action for each student retrospectively and take any necessary corrective action where possible.”
David is not the only Masters student to demand compensation. Sam Warrenger, an MA Politics student, said he has already withdrawn his final instalment of fees to the university in hope that others will follow.
“Money talks,” a fellow student added, although she admitted she was undecided about withdrawing her fees.
“I’m worried about the repercussions”, she clarified, “and it won’t be worth it unless a lot of people do it. But the whole strike is about money. It feels like it’s the only action we can take.”
First year Anatomy student Phoebe expressed anger at missing her labs, stating: “It’s active learning. It isn’t something I can teach myself or catch up on.” Similar feelings were shown from other students who shared stories of missed research and publication opportunities.
The group filmed a message to Vice-Chancellor Nancy Rothwell, with Swan requesting a face-to-face meeting. Speaking to the camera, he offered this meeting as a chance to “work constructively.”
To find out more or get involved join the ‘Take Action UoM’ group on Facebook.
A paper published by researchers based at the University of Manchester’s National Graphene Institute and the Aerospace Technology Institute has explored the potential use of graphene in aerospace.
Graphene is a material made from a single layer of carbon atoms, and has many unusual properties. It is the strongest material ever tested and conducts both electricity and heat with incredible efficiency. The material was first isolated at the University of Manchester in 2004 by researchers Geim and Novoselov, who consequently won the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics.
The recent paper has collated an aerospace-industry perspective of the benefits of working with graphene, and the market opportunities for UK aerospace companies.
The two-dimensional material has potential to improve aircraft efficiency and reducing running costs by incorporating graphene into the materials currently used in aircraft construction and thus reducing aircraft weight. This could also help to reduce carbon emissions.
The article, launched at the 2018 Materials Research Exchange, was introduced by Sir Richard Branson, who spoke with enthusiasm about the potential uses of the material:
“The potential for graphene to solve enduring challenges within the aerospace sector presents real opportunities for the material to become disruptive, and a key enabler in future aircraft technology. We need to accelerate the opportunity for the UK to realise the benefits from graphene by creating a portfolio of graphene-related research and technology projects which if undertaken would lead to real impact in our aerospace industry.”
This research was lead by Mark Summers, Head of Technology for Manufacturing, Materials, and Structures at the Aerospace Technology Institute, and James Baker, CEO of Graphene@Manchester.
Summers said: “the material has the potential to bring exciting applications and efficiencies into the sector. Although its exploitation into the aerospace sector is still in its infancy, it is anticipated that the scope of potential applications will continue to expand.
“We will seek to accelerate the maturation of graphene technology opportunities through our R&T programme, in a bid for the UK to remain ahead of the challenge and continue leading on the research and exploitation of the material in aerospace.”
Baker also noted the new opportunities, saying “major generational improvements in the aerospace sector have been associated with embracing new materials. Aluminium and carbon fibre have seen planes become faster, greener, cheaper with more functionality. Now graphene and related two-dimensional materials can mark the next step-change.
“By incorporating graphene into the existing materials used to manufacture planes, performance properties could be improved across a number of key areas. By utilising the multi-functional properties of graphene and through collaboration between industry and academia, there are significant opportunities which can accelerate the next-generation of aerospace technologies.”
“This is a bit weird isn’t it?” lead singer Stuart Murdoch said to a seated crowd at the beautiful Bridgewater Hall after playing second track ‘Dirty Dream Number Two’. I couldn’t have agreed more. Although the band sounded fantastic in the venue, backed by a string quartet, there was a definite energy lacking from the start of the Monday night gig.
Luckily, Belle and Sebastian have been going for over 20 years, and during that period Murdoch has evolved from a bedroom songwriter to an effortless performer. The band’s setlist spanned their entire career, all the way from debut EP Dog on Wheels to tracks from their latest collection of EPs How to Solve our Human Problems.
Murdoch was even able to convince some of the crowd to rise from their seats in some of the more upbeat tracks like ‘If She Wants Me’ and ‘I Want The World to Stop’. However, the band certainly didn’t shy away from a bit of loyal-fan-service, eschewing some of their most well-known songs for obscure B-sides.
Though Belle and Sebastian’s new material is perfectly competent, for me it lacks the spark and intimacy of their older releases. The rest of the audience seemed to agree with me, the majority staying sedate during these tracks, with some making a calculated trip to the bathroom.
To the surprise and dismay of the venue staff, before Sukie in the Graveyard, Murdoch invited anyone who wanted to show off their moves to come up, inciting a stage invasion. After 1998 classic ‘Boy with the Arab Strap’ the band came back for their encore, ending with discoesque banger ‘The Party Line’, which finally saw the entire crowd come alive with Murdoch climbing and singing from the upper levels of the hall.
Despite the slow start, the band had the tunes and charisma to make a special evening.
You probably know Julia Michaels from hits such as ‘Issues’ and ‘I Miss You’. However, what you probably didn’t know is that, as well as being an absolutely incredible singer, she is also a super-talented songwriter. The skilful lyricist has worked with hundreds of artists and co-written huge hits such as Justin Bieber’s ‘Sorry’, Selena Gomez’s ‘Bad Liar, and even Hailee Steinfield’s ‘Love Myself’.
Currently, Julia Michaels is on tour supporting ex-One Directioner Nial Horan through UK and Europe. Julia Michaels explained that they approached her regarding the tour: “I had known Niall previously from seeing him at award shows and different events, we just became buddies from doing that, and he was like ‘hey you should come on tour!'”
Micheals then lets a little screech to replicate her nervous but excited reply to being asked to come along, “‘sureeeeeeee’ —as if I wasn’t a nervous wreck already — ‘let’s do this'”.
Of the experience so far, Julia said, “the tour has been great. We’ve done two shows so far, Dublin and Belfast. The fans have been incredible, and super loving. They’ve been rowdy, but in the best way. They even did this ‘Olay Olay’ chant which was fabulous. It’s great to hear the crowds singing ‘Issues’ back to you. It’s the most popular so everybody knows it, but they don’t just know the choruses, they know the verses now too.”
But what about the moments of the tour that aren’t so stunning? She explained that when she performs she is “always a nervous wreck”; when she’s performing up there and singing on her own, it can feel a little scary to know that people are constantly judging you. She went onto explain how she just tries to breathe as much as possible, and that normally she can find at least one person in the crowd who knows every word and all the music, and she tries to keep her focus on them and stick with them.
Julia Michaels has worked with a huge range of people, so I asked her about her origins. “I started with poetry and then when I was 11 or 12 my mom got me a piano, and I would write down all my poetry and then start to put music with them, and that’s where it all began”.
Fast forward to now, “It depends on the day. Sometimes I’ll have voice memos of song ideas and come into the studio with them and be like hey does this sound fun, how does this sound? Or sometimes I’ll hear chords and go to the mic and say what I feel”. Julia Michaels also described the process for her hauntingly honest lyrics: “it depends on the day. If it’s just me writing by myself and there’s no one else in the room then a lot of it is quite personal.
“But if I’m working with another artist it’s like a blend of their world and mine. Every experience is incredible to work with artists, but the most fan-girly moment I’ve had would probably be with P!nk. She’s so bold, brave, beautiful, and all the things every woman inspires to be, and it was just really amazing to be in her presence.”
Michaels laughs and admits how nerve wrecking it can be to meet some of your idols, because you have this idea built up about them in your head, and you don’t know how they’ll compare. Luckily, P!nk is just as lovely in person, so we can all rest easy now. Julia also told us that the one person she would love to work with dead-or-alive would be the infamous Judy Garland: “her voice is so beautiful, like haunting in a weird way”.
Julia admitted that she doesn’t really listen to a lot of contemporary music. “I listen to things like Fiona Apple and Ani DiFranco — female singer-songwriters that I’ve looked up to over the years. I would say these guys, David Byrne, and P!nk are my biggest influences on my music.”
Being in the UK’s supposed music capital of the world I quiz miss Michaels on her Mancunian Music knowledge, as I reel off bands like Oasis and The Smiths she laughs that yeah, of course, she knows them but had no idea they were from Manchester. “I’ll have to catch up on my music history,” she giggles.
Looking forward to the rest of the tour, “there are lot of places that I’m going to on this tour that I’ve never been to before, and I’m super excited about that: Glasgow, Portugal, Spain, Denmark… but it depends because sometimes we get a day off and sometimes we don’t.”
Julia excitingly went on to say, “the days that we do, we try and see as much as we can. When we went to Dublin we stumbled across a Zoo. We were just wondering through a park and ended up seeing baby elephants and Rhinos and all these amazing things. We try do something fun everywhere we go! I hear there’s axe throwing here in Manchester?”
Z: We’re backstage at the o2 Ritz with singer-songwriter MØ. How you doing?
M: I’m great, its good to be back in Manchester. I love being here.
Z: So you’re currently on your ‘Straight Till Morning’ tour around the UK and Ireland. What is it you like about performing in the UK?
M: I love the energy here, I feel like there’s always a nice vibe. I feel like every night matters. There’s tension, the best kind of tension. I think when my career started back in 2012 it was kind of out of the UK that it started. I almost feel like I have a bit of history with the UK. So yeah, it feels special.
Z: I know you do the festival circuits. Do you prefer performing at your own concerts or at festivals?
M: I don’t really have a favourite to be honest. It’s always like when you go on a club tour and you’re like “yay!” (she waves her hands) but at the end of it you’re excited for festivals. But then you go into festival season and you’re like “oh I can’t wait to go on a club tour”. Its two different things. With the festival thing, people are on vacation, they’re free, they’re open, they’re drunk. Whereas on club tours it’s more intimate and you can create a more interesting space. So I like both things. Both things have beautiful moments.
Z: You’ve said before that your stage name translates from Danish to ‘maiden’ and ‘virgin’. Obviously this is massively linked to femininity. What are your reasons for choosing this?
M: I did it for several reasons. My grandfather was a painter and he signed his paintings MØ because of the initials of his name, and that’s the same with me, I have the same initials. So it’s there to reference him. But I loved that it had a meaning of MØ which, as you say, is an old Nordic word for not necessarily sexual virginity, but virginity in terms of being pure and a young female.
I think I’ve always seen myself as — maybe immature is not the right word — but very childlike. I think its important to try and maintain that no matter whether you are boy or girl. I happen to be a girl and for me I felt like I could relate to that, to my lyrics.
Z: What does it mean to you to be a woman in the music industry?
M: I think its great. Honestly, I’ve never viewed being male or female as if there should be any difference. I never cared about whether you’re a guy or a girl. I don’t think its important. I don’t give the gender any value. For me, I’m a person in the music industry. I mean, I know there’s a lot of talk about this and obviously I stand for getting more women involved and to kick the asses of the people who are treating anyone in a sexist way. That’s so pathetic.
But for me, being a sexist, in my world is something you do in the stone age. Oh my god its 2018. What the f*** is wrong with you? I almost pity the people that do that because its an old school f***ing d*** move. I don’t have any respect for it. I don’t have anything to say. Gender doesn’t matter. Be whatever the f*** you are or wanna be. And don’t be a f***ing sexist idiot. Sorry for all the swearing!
Z: When you started your career, was it a case of writing a song, performing it, then getting the attention of a label? Or was it a case of putting stuff online and seeing what happens?
M: I think it was a bit of both. I remember putting stuff out on Myspace and Facebook. Then we’d get some label and management reach out. Then we would play shows. It all kind of just happened. Then I got an agent and started doing shows, got signed to the UK label.
Z: Because obviously nowadays it seems like people put things online.
M: It was like that, don’t get me wrong.
Z: When you start writing a song, do you begin with a lyric, a melody or a chord? What comes first?
M: It really depends. It varies from song to song. Sometimes it’s a lyric, a concept. Sometimes it’s the melody, sometimes it’s the beat, a sound, you know. There’s not a clear answer to that.
Z: Recently there’s been a upsurge in Scandinavian pop princesses in the UK charts — artists like Sigrid, Tove Lo, Alma…
M: Alma! I love Alma, she’s the best, she’s the queen.
Z: … and of course you’ve had massive success yourself. Why do you think these girls are doing so well?
M: That’s a really hard question. I think there are amazing artists all over the world. In some places of the world it must be difficult to get things out there. I think over the years there has been a boom in Scandanavian female artists and in music in general. I think the industry has started to be better at pushing it all which is great. I’m so excited for this to happen to other countries as well where you don’t hear a lot of stuff coming out. That’s my answer I guess. I mean not to say there’s nothing special about Scandinavian artists, there totally is. I think there are gems sitting all over the world but some countries are still in the making.
Z: A lot of your fashion and your music has been inspired by the 90s. A lot of Manchester students are very much inspired by the fashion from that era.
M: It’s really something that’s getting hot at the moment. I feel like everywhere, the music, fashion, everything seems like the 90s is having a boom. You can’t escape it, it’s just there.
Z: How does your fashion impact the way we understand your music?
M: No matter what creative platform it is, fashion always comes in waves and seriously right now I think that’s where it’s at. In the 90s I was a big Spice Girls fan and it was a time that influenced me a lot. That was when I decided I wanted to be a musician and so on. I think for me, it was easy to fall back down that road. But I think always with this kind of thing when something comes into fashion, its about mixing it up with the modern landscape and with the future and where you’re at now. It’s more like finding inspiration in it and making it your own.
Z: What was it like dancing with Diplo?
M: It was really fun. He’s an amazing musician obviously but he always has these great ideas. It was his idea to do this synchronised dance. Honestly, it was one of the most fun music videos I’ve ever been on. None of us are dancers, we just thought “let’s do it”. It was lovely.
Z: You dance well together!
M: Thank you. I thought we were great. It was a good day.
Z: I saw you this time last year at the o2 Ritz here in Manchester. What does Manchester mean to you? There’s such a vibrant music scene here. When you come here, how do you feel?
M: I’m not just saying this but I feel like there is a certain energy here. When I’m in Manchester I really want to do well because I feel connected to it in a way. Also because I’ve spent some time here, there are many things I’m doing. I’m meeting all these people, even having off days. So yeah, I think I feel energy here. People are so up for partying here and people want to talk and connect and I really like that.
Z: A lot of our readers are young DJs and musicians. What is your advice to them?
M: I have a couple of things. This is a vague one but really be yourself. Again, its great to find inspiration in everything that surrounds you but never try to copy anything. Always try to be your version of something you like so that its unique and it’s you. For me, that’s what draws me to something. That’s one thing. But then you’ve got to work super hard. And be super nice to people. Never be an asshole. No one cares about an asshole. Be sweet, work hard and be yourself.
Many people, I think, saw Far Cry 5 as the game that would rejuvenate the Far Cry series. After the success Assassin’s Creed: Origins had in revising its own tired formula, Far Cry 5 looked set to be a new dawn for another Ubisoft series.
Indeed, many of the signs from the game’s premise suggested as much: the game would take place in mainland America, suggesting a direct social engagement with contemporary issues rather than a typically escapist island fantasy. It was to be the natural maturation of its four younger siblings, taking the action-packed shooter elements of its predecessors and transposing them into a more mature background.
Furthermore, one of the most notable early moments in Far Cry 5 is an active subversion of one of the series’ most maligned conventions: upon climbing my first radio tower, Dutch (one of the game’s many side characters) humorously observed “I know what you’re thinking, and no, I ain’t going to have you climbing towers all over the county for me, so don’t worry!”
Far Cry 5 quickly dashes those hopes. With some ham-fisted exposition and a little suspension of disbelief, Ubisoft’s immediate act is to make Far Cry 5 strictly apolitical and reinstate Hope County, to all intents and purposes, as an island. The outside world is cut off and the possibility of reaching it is explained away, with its borders marked by insurmountable mountains, rivers, or simple ‘you are leaving the mission area’ warnings.
Additionally, Ubisoft are quick to dehumanise the enemy so that gunning down masses of them isn’t problematic. The cult leaders aren’t alluringly charismatic false messiahs (with the exception of the more believable Faith), just characturial evil psychopaths. Their ‘flock’, equally, aren’t misguided, disillusioned outcasts, but also trigger-happy psychopaths or zombies sent into a rabid state by a drug called ‘bliss.’
Faith is the most compelling of relatively weak cast
Once you realise this, Far Cry 5 isn’t necessarily a bad game. It’s not an intelligent game, but one that provides enough action-packed fun and blood-thirsty mayhem minute-to-minute to make sure you’re never bored, but that’s more or less as far as it goes: Far Cry 5 is a great shooter, but its world has little substance and this becomes increasingly erosive on immersion and, consequently, enjoyment.
The basic structure is essentially the same as Assassin’s Creed: Origins. There is a main story, but to progress to the cinematic cutscenes and hand-crafted story missions that constitute this main narrative, you are required to get a number of ‘resistance points’ by doing side quests or missions.
photo:Ubisoft
As in Origins, Ubisoft have moved away from the dull tasks that used to constitute side quests and missions in their typical releases, but there is still plenty of repetition in the periods that intervene the main story. The repeated tasks – taking out outposts, clearing encampments, destroying silos – are basically fun as they involve non-stop, frenetic, and often unpredictable encounters with aggressive enemies.
These kinds of scenes are where Far Cry 5 comes into its own: fast-paced, chaotic fights and emergent gameplay which pitches you, the player, against the many enemies and moving pieces in the game. I experienced many a routine attack on a lone truck become a Rambo-esque scene of mayhem complete with helicopters and road blocks.
The game’s setting is also a point of strength. The Appalachian hills and alpine expanses of Hope County are both visually compelling and deeply satisfying to traverse. Unlike the somewhat limited desert of Origins, Hope County’s size is compensated for by plenty of environmental variety, and the large number of vehicles – ranging from flimsy quad bikes to gun-mounted lorries – mean that getting from A to B is never dull. Plus, you’ll almost always get attacked at least once along the way.
photo:Ubisoft
The missions that Ubisoft have engineered themselves are also strong, with good cinematics, well-crafted environments, and well executed set-pieces. These missions, the ones that are central to the story, are where we also glimpse the potential of the characters and setting Ubisoft are working with, and in these parts characterisation and dialogue come much more to the fore.
Unfortunately, this burgeoning narrative core is too often obscured by an increasing awareness of the game’s status as, well, a game. The very best games immerse you so deeply in the story that you stop thinking of it as a game, and become genuinely invested in the lore. This drives one’s hunger for exploration and maintains interest even in long stretches of inactivity.
Far Cry 5, however, does not quite manage to bury gameplay mechanics deeply enough in narrative. Your followers (NPCs who follow and assist you), for example, never feel believable as characters, as the majority of their identity is based on their perks and how they can aid you in a practical sense. These characters cannot die. Rather, fatal injuries commence a cool down timer which prevents you from using them for a few minutes. This makes them feel not like living, breathing inhabitants who you are fighting to save, but more like weapons or tools to be used to complete a given objective.
photo:Ubisoft
Similarly, the explicitly metered nature of progression makes a world that is meant to unfold in front of you and be emergent feel somewhat mechanical. When you invade the Seed family home, for example, they do not really react. It is only when you destroy an extra silo or two for more resistance points that you trigger an encounter with John Seed.
Essentially, Far Cry lays its own artifice too bare, and this is highly erosive to one’s sense of immersion. This, in turn, lowers the stakes for one’s ambitions of saving Hope County, and consequently compounds the feeling that you are going through the motions by liberating its many areas.
To be fair to Ubisoft, they have tried to sprinkle Hope County with signs of life. Every now and again, you’ll find abandoned huts, little notes, and environments obviously meant to tell a story. This dusting, however, is too diffuse in a map that is absolutely huge.
The two main dynamics in the story, however, are woefully unbelievable. These are the goodies (you and the resistance) and the baddies (the Seeds and the cult). You, the player, are simultaneously hailed as an altruistic saviour of the people whilst the game’s missions take you down a path of immeasurable violence, destruction, and sin. Nick Rye, probably the chattiest of your followers, offers a neat example of how simplistically this question, which has troubled many games, is engaged with, saying, “the only way we’re going to rid of all this violence is with more violence. It’s sad, but it’s what we gotta do.”
The so-called resistance are more of an aggressive militia force, and even the most unassuming civilians don’t bat an eyelid when you ask them to drop their day job to come help them fight. No exaggeration, there’s a priest in a bullet-proof vest who is competent with an assault rifle. He also keeps a handgun in his hollowed out bible.
The cult are arguably even more paradoxical. As a cult, they are completely unbelievable. They shoot anyone and everyone they see, kidnap locals, and leave sinners crucified everywhere as examples of the seven deadly sins.
photo:Ubisoft
It does seem a major narrative oversight that the cult are profoundly unappealing, internally incoherent (I believe murder is also a deadly sin), and completely non-religious. None of the cult members (the Seeds aside) have any moorings in the local community, and this adds to the sense that they are little more than target practice or mannequins for our violent delights.
Far Cry 5’s other major offering is the arcade mode, which acts as its multiplayer mode. In this mode, you can construct your own maps using assets from previous Far Cry games as well as old Assassin’s Creed games, which sounds great and is no doubt part of Ubisoft’s ongoing transformation to a more pro-consumer AAA publisher. The microtransactions system in Far Cry is also largely unobtrusive. Unfortunately, I found somewhat of a No Man’s Sky effect. With no curation or oversight, almost everything looked something like this:
photo:Ubisoft
Arcade mode was also buggy as hell, and the shooting mechanics that felt so assured in the single player felt woefully out of place in a multiplayer game. There is doubtless potential here, but it needs a great deal of polish.
At the end of the day, Far Cry 5 isn’t a bad game. Indeed, most of the stuff you’re doing is fun on a basic level, and Ubisoft have added plenty of quality-of-life additions to make sure you’re never bored and the emergent storytelling makes the sequence of events feel organic.
Unfortunately, however, it’s when you scratch below the surface that Far Cry is really weak. The story is shallow, inconsistent, and does not engage with its own subject matter. This weak story, allied with overly visible game mechanics and mechanical NPCs, chip away at your immersion in the very community that you are meant to be motivated to save. Whilst Ubisoft do just about enough to keep you playing and make the villains just enigmatic enough for you to see the game through, the end result is an ultimately unsatisfying and uninspiring shoot ‘em up.
Hazelight Studios might not be a name you’ve heard of before, but you certainly will do in the years to come after their recent release, A Way Out. Spoiler alert: I liked this one. A lot.
Hazelight’s debut exhibits a fresh and innovative approach to narrative-driven games with evident experience in its ability to feel like an instant classic with a retro charm on the first playthrough, and this starts with Josef Fares. Once again, whilst Fares might not exactly be a household name, but you might know him as that hero who screamed “fuck the Oscars!” during last year’s Game Awards.
Outside of becoming instant ammunition for numerous memes, the man’s CV is darn impressive: six feature films, several nominations in European cinema and 2013’s Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons — his first foray into gaming and to good reception — and now a new IP with publisher EA.
So how does his newest creation showcase what Hazelight has to offer? Well, first and foremost, it must be stressed that this game is a trip down memory lane in more ways than one, but in the most immediate sense, it is because it takes you back to the summer holidays, staying in over rainy weekends and going around your mate’s after school. I’m talking about couch co-op.
Luckily, if you’re reading this then you’re most likely old enough to remember the days when playing with your friends wasn’t as easy as jumping online, creating a party and pulling an all-nighter: one of you had to actually go there to enjoy multiplayer! Split-screen only! But just because it wasn’t as easy as it is these days, does not mean it wasn’t a time of beauty found in simplest things.
Photo: Hazelight Studios
‘Couch co-op’, or local multiplayer, was the primary marketing tool for this game: you play as two convicts, Vincent and Leo, as they escape from prison. Each character has their own personality and approach to certain situations, and like the good old days, split-screen seemed the natural choice.
When Fares first gave us a taste of A Way Out, he took the bold step of asserting how this game should be played. Of course, you can choose to play online, but as he stressed so passionately, playing alongside a friend in the comfort of your own home is the best way to enjoy this game, and I tend to agree. There’s nothing like screaming expletives at your partner face-to-face.
When I first picked up the game, there was a short period of adjustment as I realised just how long it had been since I had played a split-screen game. However, once I had acclimatised, the constantly switching and changing screen sizes made it feel like I was playing through a comic book, participating in one panel at a time, whilst my friend acted out the other.
The split-screen made for a high-octane, sweeping experience, busy with visuals during action sequences and with smooth and clever transitions when switching between moments that focus solely on one character, or when the camera widens for both of you to share the same shot. It becomes a narrative device of its own, highlighting the most important moment at any given time.
Photo: Hazelight Studios
Moreover, the game takes this further and uses the split-screen to play with what your expectations of co-op are. There are many times when, despite being a team who rely on each other, you are instead forced to compete with one another, feeding off the dynamic between Leo and Vincent that starts out less than friendly, and given Fares’ cinematic expertise, it was no surprise that the direction of this game was excellent.
However, there are niggles about this game that my most critical side couldn’t ignore. For instance, an occasionally sticky and cumbersome cover system and fairly rudimentary shooting mechanics, but then again it was never advertised to be the most mechanically intricate or revolutionary game; instead, the focus was always going to be on story and how you interact with it.
Similarly, the puzzle-solving and quick time events, which make up the primary game mechanic, are nothing new or particularly tasking — the exception being a back-to-back climb up a tall shaft that features two meters and plenty of room for rage quits — but they serve the purpose of progressing through what is essentially another narrative-driven game. Whether it is in a crunch-time moment or a comedic mini-games like balancing a wheelchair, they get the job done.
Photo: Hazelight Studios
Even the length of the first act, the actual prison break itself and the supporting character development therein could have been stretched out, sacrificed instead for Vincent and Leo taking centre stage throughout. But that’s just me wanting more of the game in all honesty; at the end of the day, the game is called A Way Out, so it was a narrative inevitability that they obviously knew they could pace through quite quickly.
Having said that, the portion of the game which you spend observing and plotting your escape from the prison was fun. It takes queues from jail-centric films and television like Shawshank Redemption and Prison Break, and not in an unoriginal or unsatisfying way, but in what that feels like a homage to these pop-culture classics; like they took notes on how to make an equally compelling narrative.
From a graphical standpoint, the game isn’t hugely impressive, but it feels clean and simplistic with plenty of charm in it’s minimalist style. The general gameplay, set-pieces and letter boxed cutscenes all line up perfectly to sustain your immersion throughout, making it feel like you are playing through a Hollywood blockbuster.
All things being considered, the game sucked me in to the very last and could school anyone on how to intertwine a balance of old-school co-op and tried and tested gameplay into a well-crafted and deeply satisfying narrative. Hopefully, Fares and his team at Hazelight can follow the likes of Naughty Dog, Quantic Dream and Hideo Kojima to create a true cinematic video game legacy.
Cosmo Sheldrake, the prodigiously talented and profoundly unique 27-year- old singer, songwriter, composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist from London, has announced details of his debut album The Much Much How How and I, out Friday 6th April 2018 on Transgressive Records.
The Much Much How How and I was written under the influence of a diverse group of musicians — ranging from The Beatles and The Kinks to Moondog and Stravinsky — and shaped by Sheldrake’s study of anthropology at the University of Sussex, his longstanding interest in ethnomusicology, and a trip to Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
Produced by Cosmo Sheldrake and Matthew Herbert (Bjork, Mica Levi, London Sinfonietta) and recorded at Soup Studios and Cosmo’s basement, the album will be available on limited edition vinyl, CD, and download and is available to pre-order here.
The news is shared alongside the music video for current single ‘Come Along’ — the first to be taken from the record. Discussing the surreal visual accompaniment, Cosmo said the following:
‘The video for Come Along, directed by Josh Allott, explores the experience of both having head lice and being a head louse. Microscopic worlds expand and consume the macroscopic world of the large. Human heads become continents, scalps become landscapes, salons become solar systems. Come along now.’
Cosmo Sheldrake plays Manchester’s Soup Kitchen on 6th April. Tickets are available here.
Using 3D printing to produce a new prosthetic limb, a student group at the University of Manchester could slash the cost of a functional replacement hand for amputees by £57,000.
Their robotic mechanical hand allows wearers to move all the electronic fingers by sensing muscle movements on the user’s arm. Users will be able to perform everyday tasks such as eating with cutlery, typing an essay or even playing a game of ‘rock, paper, scissors’!
The NHS currently performs approximately 6000 limb amputations per year, providing patients with mainly non-automated, cosmetic, plastic limb replacements.
The artificial limb prototype cost the team £307 to produce; this is significantly less than the £25,000-£60,000 cost of similar mechanical limb products on the market, with even the most basic costing £3000. This new cheaper prosthetic means that one day all amputees could receive moving robotic hands.
Group leader Alex Agboola-Dobso said: “Not only do we want to make it affordable, but also want people to actually like the look of it and not be ashamed or embarrassed about using or wearing it.
“Some traditional prosthetics can both look and feel cumbersome, and those that don’t are extremely expensive. We think our design really can make a difference and we will be looking to commercialise the project in the future.”
At this year’s Industry 4.0 summit & Factories of the Future Expo earlier this month, the students won ‘Best New Development’ in the innovation challenge. They defeated four competitor groups at the Manchester-based future of technology event.
Dr Carl Diver, from the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, said: “We are really delighted for them, it was a great experience for them to pitch their idea in front of a panel of experts and the prize money will help them develop the idea further. This will be a great addition to their CV.”
Alongside leader Agboola-Dobso, the team, who aim to bring the hand to market, are comprised of lead electrical engineer Sebastian Preston-Jensen, lead software engineer Panagiotis Papathanasiou, and mechanical and software engineers Maximillian Rimmer and Shao Hian Liew.
They have also designed an accompanying Android app that allows users to control how the robotic hand is moved via a Bluetooth signal.
Alex added: “The functionality is customised through the phone app, but the muscle sensors provide the control by moving the hand whenever necessary. It is really simple to use.”
The group used a ‘high-quality resin plastic’ 3D printing method to make the product, known as ‘Stereolithographic (SLA) printing.’ In the future, the team hope to use the more efficient ‘Fused Deposition Modelling (FDA)’ printing method.
Dr Diver added: “We are very excited to see what the future holds for this group and their innovative creation.”
With the resurgent advent of point-and-click or “choose your own adventure” games spearheaded by Telltale Games in the last 5 years, Big Bad Wolf’s debut episodic IP, The Council, is not exactly breaking new ground. It is, however, certainly trying to carve out a new space within an increasingly popular genre that is enjoying a renaissance of sorts, and does so in a way that is unique, whilst still feeling undeniably familiar.
The game is frustrating even from the very first moments, purely because it seems to lack finesse or fails altogether when the most basic things. This starts with the dialogue. Oh, the dialogue.
Despite being a game that is highly-reliant on narrative, everything from the performances of the voice actors, to the contrived script, all of these things put pressure on your immersion. The moment you hear those accents, you are instantly taken out of an otherwise believable and seductive world of mystery, and from then on it is very difficult to force yourself back in.
There are many moments when people don’t just talk in exposition but seem barely capable of holding a believable conversation, and lots of times when sounds or visuals lag and are out of sync with one another. These little things are concerning not merely because it is poor purely from a storytelling perspective, but also because the game isn’t so big or graphically demanding that it should be hard to run smoothly.
However, although it is evident that The Council has some underlying problems — some of which can hopefully be fixed or honed in the coming episodes — it is not all bad, and even though frustration was a constant feature of the experience, there is a lot to praise in this game. Indeed, in many ways, it is precisely because it shows so much promise, and ultimately falls short, that I found it so frustrating.
First of all, the game is visibly very striking — not because it is impressive, but because of the undeniably unique stylisation of the character models. Think Dishonored but less steampunk, with more aristocratic French flamboyance.
photo: Mancunion
Unlike the instantly recognisable style of Telltale, which adopts the boxier, cel-shaded designs, or Life is Strange’s soft-anime character models, The Council has a much more realistic style, with grainy, macro-skin textures and a palette that ranges from deep dark, blues, reds, and browns, all the way to the more washed-out sepia tones that filter much of the games visuals, especially during cut-scenes, adding an appropriately dated veneer to compliment the game’s cast of historical figures.
However, the way these historical figures were portrayed was one of the main caveats of the game. I was immediately enticed by the notion of the interacting with the likes of George Washington and Napoleon and plunging myself into a world of Illuminati-like groups, but ultimately these characters weren’t used to their full potential.
photo: Mancunion
The social interactions were limited, and the character’s underground organisation felt like an afterthought in many of the conversations, almost as if it was only deployed as an excuse to justify why all these guests were present in the first place.
One of the main criticisms levelled at the likes of Telltale games is that there is very little depth to the active role of the player themselves: yes, you may direct the pathway for the narrative to follow, but often the possibilities are fairly limited and the decisions have little impact on the grander scale of what is essentially a more rigid narrative structure.
Very few games offer much variation on that formula. The Council, on the other hand, makes a valiant attempt at trying to take the persistent draw-back of the genre and drag it into the more rewarding realms of a more detailed, RPG-inspired, skill-based affair.
However, as seems to be the common denominator with this title, it feels only like an attempt as opposed to a fully-fledged achievement. Whilst the skill trees are extensive, offering up three main classes: Occultist, Detective, Diplomat — with each of these offering various abilities as well as special talents to enhance and really capitalise on your chosen skill set(s) — the complexity is a bit of a double-edged sword.
It is nice to see the building blocks for real character progression in one of these games, but it feels a bit bogged down in its own intricacies. It is great that the game tries to offer different character builds/classes and skills to enable you to vary your approach, but the capacity to use them is often hamstrung by the slightly frustrating point system therein.
Rather than unlock a skill, you have to earn effort points in order to use them. These can be gained through simply be completing tasks, reading books, or obtaining consumable items such as amber fragments, but you’re likely to be short on these points if you haven’t done enough exploring.
Although one might argue this adds depth and promotes exploration by making you work harder and adding difficulty to many of the social interactions, I couldn’t ignore that I didn’t really feel the benefit over the course of a two-three hour episode and it felt frustrating when I frequently couldn’t use the skills I had chosen to get past a tricky conversation.
Ironically, however, I also had the complete opposite feeling on many other occasions when the dialogue puzzles seemed very routine. Since all the characters have strengths and weaknesses that can be viewed through the games database menu, it seemed a rather simplistic process of mismatching — like being met with a grass-type Pokémon and instantly choosing a fire.
So, how does this first episode, ‘The Mad Ones’, introduce us to this new universe? Well, unfortunately, that pretty much sums up how this first taste of The Council felt. It was an introduction; the embryonic stages of a game that I truly believe has great potential but fell short in what should have been its main objective: truly pulling me into the world so that I couldn’t wait for the next episode.
The Wombats have become one of the most influential indie bands since the 2000s , as they’re now four albums down, and have over ten years on the road under their belt. Their albums chart the highs and lows of adolescence and adulthood with flare, humility and honesty and have truly reached an iconic status in the music genre.
Ahead of their second sold out show at the Academy, bassist Tord Knudsen took ten minutes out of his busy schedule to chat to The Mancunion…
So, how does it feel to have two sold out nights at the Academy and an upcoming sold out night at Alexandra Palace?
We’re feeling really humbled. To be able to continue playing at this level, to still be The Wombats and for people to still want to come see us live and listen to our music, we feel very privileged, especially ten years on.
Your first album had a lot of post-punk sounds to it, but now on your fourth album there’s a very mature nature to it. How would you say you’ve changed? Has it been a deliberate process or something else entirely?
We kind of wanted to go back to our roots a little bit on this album (Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life). This Modern Glitch and Glitterbug were both quite synthy which we enjoyed doing but you come to a point where you’ve explored a lot of it, and it’s nice to then go back to where we started. We made a conscious decision to try and go back to the bare essentials, not soaked in too much production. We feel like it worked out!
You’ve been together as a band for over ten years now, have you come across the phrase “guitar music is dead” and what do you think about this?
People keep saying that and I think it’s bullshit. I don’t think it’s dying; I think there’s always going to be guitar music around. I live in Oslo at the moment, and there’s a big tropical house movement where kids are growing up wanting to be DJs but it’s the same with bands. It just takes one to inspire the kids to start making that kind of music. I don’t think its accurate to say it’s dying, it just means that it’s not mainstream.
Now four albums down, what would you say is your favourite song that you’ve produced or played live?
I find that an impossible question really. I feel like it’s always the latest work you are proudest of. I can probably pick two from Beautiful People: ‘Cheetah Tongue’ and ‘I Don’t Know Why I Like You But I Do’. I feel like they represent something a bit new for The Wombats. They’re exciting to play live.
Given how much you’ve changed over the years, who would you say your biggest inspiration has been and have you been picking up new inspirations as you’ve progressed as a band?
You always do! Whether it’s music, what’s happening in the world or your experiences that fuel the story for a song. I tend to go back in time to get creative — Glitterbug was very 80s inspired. Now I’ve been getting into more stuff from the 70s. We kind of just pick up on little bits, like psychedelia for example.
What are you listening to at the moment then?
I’ve been getting really into Superorganism, Tame Impala and I really like the new Beck album actually!
Maybe I’ll check that out then! Last question then, what’s your go-to karaoke song?
‘Take On Me’ by a-ha. I played it yesterday on my DJ set and I was made up — people were going mental! I love playing it on the road, it’s my Norwegian pride!
Can you hit those high notes though?
Just! They don’t sound as crystal clear or smooth but I can get there! I do sound like a crow that’s being choked though!
I’m sure you’re not that bad! Thank you very much and good luck tonight!
Already boasting a sold-out Academy last week, The Wombats returned for part two of their Manchester take-over, bringing with them all the excitement, flair and charm that they’re so renowned for.
They were in good company too, with support from rising stars Bloxx and fellow Liverpudlians The Night Café helping to warm up the crowd.
For a band that have been performing together for well over a decade now, it’d be fair to suppose that The Wombats might have lost their edge. But this couldn’t be further from the truth.
The trio give it their absolute all, delivering a non-stop barrage of energy and emotion all night long. A particular shout-out goes to bassist Tord Knudsen, who spent the gig relentlessly darting around stage, flinging his bass around as if it were made of paper.
The psychedelic ‘Cheetah Tongue’ kicked the evening off. It was a gentle opener, but one that allowed everyone to psyche themselves up for what was to follow. After that it was the euphoric ‘Give Me A Try’ from third album Glitterbug, ramping up the masses with one of their best songs. There’s just something so infectious about their hybrid synth-guitar sound that means they’re impossible not to dance to.
With such a large catalogue of songs, The Wombats never ran out of ammunition, moving from anthem to anthem. Now with four albums under their belt, it was nice to see they were able to eliminate some of their slower songs from the setlist, keeping the overall energy sky high throughout.
“You probably can’t tell because I’m a pro, but I’ve actually got a cold right now so I need you to sing extra loudly for us” croaked frontman Murph. Everyone in the venue needed no second invitation, and the band launched into the second half of their set. After vanishing for a brief five minutes, they returned and blessed the crowd with four more songs, ending on the fantastic ‘Greek Tragedy’ as balloons rained down on the Academy.
Overall the night was a balanced mix of the old and the new; with unforgettable tunes from their debut (such as the unforgettable ‘Let’s Dance To Joy Division’) and some of their best work from later releases. Alongside stunning new stage visuals — including some dancing wombats during the encore — The Wombats are arguably performing at their peak and show no signs of slowing.
Shakira Martin has been re-elected as the next NUS President at the National Conference in Glasgow, Scotland.
In a comfortable win, the president, who describes herself as a young black woman with “swagger”, raked in 352 votes.
Her competitions, Sahaya James and Momin Saqib, both received 104 and 168 votes respectively, with RON (Re-Open Nominations) receiving 66 votes.
In total, 690 votes were cast.
The conference, this year held north of the border for the first time in 96 years, takes place annually to give delegates from Student Unions across the country an opportunity to vote on important pieces of legislation on the NUS agenda. Additionally, it also sees delegates cast their votes on who they would like to see as next years president and vice-presidents of the NUS.
Commenting on her win, Martin stated: “I am honoured and humbled to have been elected NUS’ President for a second term.
“I was elected to listen, learn and lead, now it’s time to get real about what that means both for all forms of education, and what it means for NUS.”
Over the upcoming year, Martin has reasserted her commitment to “rewrite the rules of student poverty”, fighting for both a minimum living income for all students and the return of living grants. Additionally, she has also promised to fight for regulation that forces Universities and Colleges to reduce general costs.
Martin has also renewed her promises to build a National Student Rights Framework on everything from academic appeals to eduroam, and to demand universal discounts on student travel.
