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Year: 2018

Photo: The University of Manchester

Manchester river has world’s highest level of microplastics

Written by Meredith Sherock on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

Researchers from the University of Manchester’s Department of Geography recently measured the world’s highest microplastic pollution in Manchester’s Tame river. These pollutants, they argue, were flushed from urban rivers into nearby oceans after major flooding events.

Microplastics include small plastic debris, such as microbeads, microfibres, and plastic fragments. They are derived from various sources – including certain cosmetics, clothing, and industrial waste. Once these microplastics enter ecosystems, they can transfer harmful chemicals into the food chain.

“If the bed sediment matrix is contaminated with microplastics, it poses a significant threat to the health of the entire riverine ecosystem,” the research team — Rachel Hurley, Jamie Woodward, and James Rothwell — explained.

Until now, microplastic contamination has only been tied to land sources. This study is the first to consider the roles of water storage and movement. Professor Jamie Woodward, head of the Department of Geography, states: “Microplastics in the ocean have recently attracted a lot of attention, but until now science knew little about the major sources of this pollution and the transport process involved.”

After sampling 40 sites across Greater Manchester, the team found substantial plastic contamination in all but one location. These areas included all types of sites, from seemingly safe rural headwaters to urban rivers in city centres.

The researchers also analysed how floods affect microplastic movement. They sampled these sites before and after the major flooding events of 2015-2016, which included the largest recorded regional flood during Boxing Day that winter. They found that the floods removed 70 per cent of plastics from riverbeds and totally eradicated plastic pollution in seven sites.

But where did these microplastics go? The team discovered that when microbeads are flushed from rivers during flooding, they move into nearby oceans. Here in northwest England, river channels drain into the Irish Sea.

This study links microplastics from urban river channels to growing oceanic pollution. With this new knowledge at hand, the team called for stronger regulations on urban water waste management.

This study adds another perspective to discussions on plastic policy.  The UK recently passed restrictions on microbeads this year, the US put these restrictions in place in 2015. Such proposals are currently pending in Canada, Australian, and across the EU.

Photo: Cansu Cender @ Flickr

Beautifully hairy

Written by Aisha Al-Janabi on . Posted in Opinion.

With summer coming, I’m preparing to tame both my overgrown leg hair, and my now free-growing stomach hair. I will, inevitably, spend an evening waxing my legs, only to see it re-appear a couple of weeks later and start the process all over again.

Women’s body hair feels like a secret that we must keep between ourselves. Of course, men are aware this is part of our beauty regime, but considering how few women I’ve seen with hairy bodies, be it legs, backs, or faces, it can sometimes feel like a myth.

I used to enjoy the yearly cycle of wild hair in winter which I could keep hidden, and my smooth legs in summer that I felt were ‘worthy’ of showing off. But recently I’ve become more aware that the worth I place on being hairless is merely because I grew up seeing this is what it means to be feminine, or beautiful.

Both teenagers and adults alike, unquestionably pursue this ideal of beauty despite the pain and time required. Many girls as young as 12 begin to do so, which is too young to navigate through hair-removal options and be self-conscious about their bodies. Society starts objectifying girls too young, especially as we go through puberty earlier than boys. Girls are altering their bodies to fit ideals of what it means to be an ‘attractive woman’, rather than enjoying childhood.

Increasingly, women are choosing not to remove their body hair, but this choice is often surrounded by controversy, not to mention the stares. As soon as this decision is made, it appears to be some sort of political statement which others feel they are allowed to have an opinion about.

Why is it that a man’s choice about body hair, be it hairless or hairy, is accepted to be due to personal preference, but we women are not allowed that same level of command over our bodies. And it hurts; waxing, razor cuts, hair removal cream burns, or epilation; none of these are pleasant experiences.

Hairlessness is still seen as a defining characteristic of being feminine– men lacking in body hair are, wrongly, considered feminine and women who have it are considered masculine. Masculinity and femininity are perceived to be polar opposites, and this is a requirement that is used to categorise and label.

Artist, Helen Plumb, recently made a short film about this topic with poet Anam Cara titled, “Feminism: A Prickly Subject.”  Through the poem, Anam Cara acknowledges the emotional conflict when one goes unshaven: of liberation and the shame which can ensue. Anam Cara describes the fear that summer brings, which resonated with me as when I was young, I used to wear jeans in the boiling sun until I waxed and was hair free, instead of being carefree as one should be during summer.

Helen Plumb elegantly portrays hairy women as feminine, beautiful, and normal, representing us in this way will hopefully be a step towards changing both men and women’s perception about what it means to be feminine or a hairy woman. And, it should mean nothing.

As an Arab woman, I have luscious, thick, very dark hair. This does mean I love my eyebrows, but I am also blessed with a moustache. Sometimes, if I’m feeling confident, I will leave my moustache alone and embrace it. But, it doesn’t take long for me to look around and realise that no other women around me has one, and I end up caving in by waxing it all off.

When boys become teenagers and their moustaches first grow, it’s praised and celebrated; it’s a natural part of puberty and growing up.  Ours, which is also a natural part of puberty, is still shrouded in judgement.

When reading women’s experiences with their body hair, and thinking of my own, words such as shame and fear are repeated, thus preventing us from acting how we wish to. Discussions around body image and confidence rarely consider body hair.

While retail brands are (very) slowly using a more diverse range of women in their advertisements, they are yet to cast hairy women as their models, unless the hair is Cara Delavine style eyebrows. If this were to be done, it would normalise the idea, and stop the vulnerability associated with having ‘excessive’ amounts of hair.

I hope this summer more women will feel the decision is theirs, to choose if they want to wax, shave, or grow their hair, and that they still feel feminine.

Why Britain desperately needs a four-day working week

Written by Holly James on . Posted in Opinion.

This week, education secretary Damian Hinds announced plans to cut teachers workloads in the face of shortages that are leaving schools paying £835m a year on supply agencies to cover lessons. At a conference in Birmingham last week, Hinds stated that long hours and large workloads were exhausting staff and putting potential teachers off the profession, something he cited as being the main reason for schools failing to recruit and retain an adequate number of teachers.

This comes in the wake of the latest Royal College of Nursing survey that paints a picture of nurses that are chronically overworked, with figures showing that many nurses work in wards that are understaffed to the point of compromising patient safety. This is no surprise; with 40,000 nursing vacancies in the UK, many nurses are now working in chronically short-staffed units, creating an environment in which they receive little support and face an undue amount of responsibility on top of their already excessive workloads.

This kind of exhaustion is unsurprising; the TUC estimated that workers clocked up a whopping £33.6bn worth of unpaid overtime in the last year alone. Nor are these the exclusive epidemics of teaching and nursing; last year, 12.5m working days were lost due to stress, depression, and anxiety, with 44% of all cases being due to workload. High workloads create the chronic stress that has been linked to an increased risk of health issues ranging from high blood pressure to strokes as well as the onset or exacerbation of serious mental health issues.

In an economy built on the backs of a chronically exploited workforce, it’s time to get strict on overtime and give people a working schedule that fits around their lives and not the other way round. How can we do this? The answer: slashing working hours and introducing a four-day working week.

Not only will this alleviate the chronic stress of an overworked population, this solution also addresses both unemployment and underemployment. With over 4 per cent of the population currently unemployed and a further 3.3 million ‘underemployed’ (those not receiving enough hours at work), a four-day week would redistribute hours, taking pressure off those overworked and giving unemployed and underemployed people more opportunities, and ultimately creating a population with significantly more leisure time.

Not only this, a four-day working week could potentially increase productivity. Studies have shown that working fewer hours encourages greater focus and enhances productivity, meaning that people work better hour for hour. Less time at work also means less time off work. As workloads are eased, the pressure taken off workers will benefit health and mean less absence.

It could even be better for the planet. The New Economics Foundation believes that a four-day week could also reduce carbon emissions and ease climate change. The think tank suggested that countries with shorter workings weeks are less likely to produce excessive carbon footprints as the move would reduce gas-guzzling commutes and leave workplaces powered down for an extra day per week.

Despite these evidently rich economic benefits, the true need for and benefit of a reduced working week is for the people. In a corporate climate that increasingly treats people like machines, fighting for a reduction in working hours is essential in order to reclaim the kind of autonomy that defines us as human. A four-day week must be the first step towards reclaiming the time for leisure, rest, and recuperation that is a fundamental prerequisite for good health and sane mind.

Indeed, fighting for the improvement of working conditions and the reduction of working hours was at the very core of the original Labour movement. In the wake of the last year’s elections, which saw an unprecedented amount of support for the labour party under Jeremy Corbyn’s new leadership, it is clear that much of the UK’s population is frustrated by the stagnant political climate and eager for social reform. Thus, working toward a four-day week must become part of a larger drive for positive, people-focused social change, including a push to introduce a Universal Basic Income and shorten the working day. These goals are essential in order to create a society that allows people to flourish as individuals rather than be broken by an economy that saps their life force for profit.

The Oscars 2018: Fashion

Written by Rona McCann on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

Earlier this month Hollywood’s most anticipated event celebrated its 90th year. The Academy Awards have always been the main spectacle of the awards season, and the stars of our screens came out in force to make sure they had the hair, the precisely-tailored suits and the jaw-dropping gowns to live up to the occasion.

2018’s awards season has been a bit of a standout. Following the Weinstein scandal that hit in October, entirely black outfits were donned for both the Golden Globes and, on our side of the Atlantic, the BAFTAs to show support for the ‘Time’s Up’ movement against sexual harassment in the film industry.

However, for the Oscars, the grand finale of the ceremonies, actors and film-makers scrubbed-up in colourful, noticeably more fun outfits, seemingly marking the night as a celebration whilst still ensuring they advocated the worthy cause in their speeches.

Pink was a big hit with the stars. Best Actress nominee Saoirse Ronan wore a pale, floor-sweeping custom Calvin Klein number, last year’s Supporting Actress winner Viola Davis looked striking in a dress of a fluorescent shade and Salma Hayek’s pink took on a more sparkly form with her tiered gown.

Even the suit-wearers of the night strayed away from the norm. Whilst he might have missed out on the Best Actor gong for Call Me By Your Name, Timothée Chalamet made sure he left an impression on the red carpet in a startlingly-bright off-white suit. His co-star Armie Hammer opted for a smart burgundy velvet tuxedo and bowtie combo.

Similarly velvet-clad were Get Out lead man, and one of the night’s three British Best Actor nominees, Daniel Kaluuya, this time in super suave gold, and Baby Driver’s Ansel Elgort in bottle green. Last year’s Best Actress winner Emma Stone also suited up in a satin belted jacket and trouser pairing.

Their box office smash might have been released too late to be in the running, but the cast of Black Panther made a big appearance. Lupita Nyong’o dazzled in shimmering gold and Chadwick Boseman twisted traditional Oscars style by donning an embezzled Givenchy overcoat.

It’s something of an open secret in the industry that the biggest names and the most-favoured nominees will spend several months carefully selecting their look. The fabulous end product seen on the red carpet last week does suggest that this particularly lengthy preparation process is the indeed case.

Photo: tom-margie@flickr

Hubert de Givenchy dies aged 91

Written by Alice Reynolds on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

In 1961, Hubert de Givenchy designed a black dress with a crescent-cut back, for his life-long friend and muse Audrey Hepburn.

She wore it, with big sunglasses and a pile of pearls, eating a croissant and drinking coffee in the window of Tiffany’s. From that moment on, the LBD was cemented in fashion history. This was the power of Maison Givenchy and his rapturous love affair with fabrics.

Count Hubert James Marcel Taffin de Givenchy lived his life with an inimitable, inexhaustible passion for learning.

As a young man, he began his career working with no less than four, archetypal Parisian designers –Jacques Fath, Robert Piguet, Lucien Lelong and the Elsa Schiaparelli – before launching his own label, Maison Givenchy, in 1952.

This is where Hubert first made his mark. Titled Separates, his debut collection showcased simple, mix-and-match couture pieces, that could be styled with unprecedented versatility.

These were not only extraordinarily popular at the time but remain a staple of both luxury and high-street fashion, featuring in the FW18 collections of designers like Christian Siriano and Issey Miyake, as well as in the high-street powerhouse Zara.

After this acclaimed debut, Hubert de Givenchy went on to set in stone so many things that we take for granted in fashion today.

In 1954, he became the first couturier to showcase a Ready-to-Wear collection – Givenchy Université – making high-fashion more accessible to those who could not afford haute couture.

Three years later, he introduced the chemise – or sack – silhouette, redefining Parisian chic before anticipating the style revolution that was the 1960s by raising hemlines before the decade even began.

Givenchy’s most radical idea, however, stemmed directly from his relationship with Audrey Hepburn. Their friendship not only defined their careers but also revolutionised the industry, paving the way for what we recognise in fashion today.

In 1954, Hubert approached Hepburn, whom he’d met when he dressed her for her film ‘Sabrina’, to ask her if she would be the face of his first perfume, L’Interdit, which he had created specifically for her.

This sounds like a wholly ordinary story until you realise that this was the first time a celebrity had ever officially endorsed a product. This was literally the birth of celebrity endorsement.

In this and so many other ways, Hubert de Givenchy defined how we see fashion today. His elegant, sophisticated charm characterised an entire era of Parisian style and established the city as the height of luxury fashion.

Most significantly, he brought his eternally charming personality to a dreamily beautiful aesthetic. He gave women an ideal of elegant femininity without sacrificing their individuality. He gave us Audrey Hepburn, in haute couture, eating a croissant.

Photo: Poetry of Perception @ Vimeo

Review: Slam of the North

Written by Frank Radcliffe-Adams on . Posted in Arts, Theatre.

On the 10th of March, four teams of four poets representing the University of Leeds, the University of Manchester, Leeds Beckett University, and the University of Durham gathered at the Riley Smith Theatre, Leeds, to compete in the Slam of the North.

Born in the Jazz Clubs of Chicago and New York, a slam is a performance poetry competition in which poets take to the stage to perform a piece scored out of ten by judges. The rules? Strictly no more than three minutes, no props, and no costumes.

Its aim was to democratise poetry, making it no longer the preserve of academics, and allow people of all backgrounds a chance to vocalise their experiences. Some may say, however, that contemporary slam poetry has left its gritty roots far behind and is now associated more often with self-indulgence, finger clicking, and a whiny delivery style, than with the insightful voice of the voiceless.

There was little self-indulgence on display at Slam of The North, with poets balancing honest introspection with sharp observation and social engagement. Themes ranged from race and the problems of our generations to sex, drinking, and coming of age.

A Dutch poet from Leeds Beckett performed a piece called Bilingual, expressing her frustration with Britain’s political arrogance and expectation that everybody else speaks English, switching between English and Dutch throughout.

The eventual winners were Durham, whose poems were not, as some may have lazily predicted, about the pain of Oxbridge rejection, but rather about lack of privacy in the digital age, relationships, arranged marriage, and the complexities of class identification. A particularly memorable opening line was: “You can’t speak Ancient Greek in a Teeside accent.”

The evening was hosted by Leeds poet Rheima Robinson, who in the interval, told me that: “events like this are really important for creating a sense of community in the poetry scene. I think it creates more of a safe space as well, people are comfortable performing material here that they wouldn’t always be comfortable performing at an open-mic.”

She noted also: “I always like watching poets from Manchester, the scene there is different from everywhere else in the country. It has more of, like, a swagger to it, and I think even students who aren’t from there originally pick up on it.”

This suggests that the University of Manchester poets delivered streams of Liam Gallagher style invective. They did not. They spoke, however, with wit and sensitivity, receiving a good reception from the audience. No doubt they channelled the literary heritage of our — in many cases temporarily adopted — city. Lemn Sissay, John Cooper Clarke, and the late Mark E. Smith would have been proud.

Photo: Brad Tutterow @flickr

City conquer a cold, wet night in Stoke

Written by Joey Pine on . Posted in Sport.

In the oft-debated argument among City fans in their bid to crown the clubs greatest player of all time, David Silva is never far away from the discussion.

And after a virtuoso, man-of-the-match-performance, on a cold Monday night at Stoke, no less — the widely perceived ultimate litmus test for any player —, Silva further staked his claim for the prize.

Somehow managing to put the off-field problems he is currently enduring to one side, Silva was the difference between the sides. And what a difference it was; the majestic Spaniard notched two goals of the most sublime panache and poise you are likely to ever see at any football ground, in any continent.

The first arrived after just ten minutes. It was a result of that trademark sweeping City move, in which the ball gets rapidly transferred up the pitch with such crisp, one-or-two-touch passing, carving the opponent apart like a knife through butter, and invariably ends up in the back the net. Fernandinho into Jesus, Jesus into Sterling, Sterling into Silva. 1-0.

The goal, somewhat inevitably, sparked the contest into action and having gone behind early, Stoke rallied with a couple of half chances, the first: a snap shot taken by Ndiaye on 21 minutes which whistled just wide of Ederson’s post. The second: a bizarre instance in which Kyle Walker, under pressure from Jese, dealt with a high bouncing ball by lofting it back towards his own goal and thus leaving Ederson back-pedalling frantically to tip the goalbound clearance over his bar.

City however, ended the first half the stronger side and fashioned a couple of chances of their own to further extend their lead, the first a sweetly-struck, 30-yard rasping drive from the returning Fernandinho which Butland required a strong hand to parry away and the second an ambitious volley from the at times scintillating Leroy Sane which flew wide of Butland’s post.

The second half started how the first had ended, with City firmly on top; however, as has so often been the case with this imperious City side this season, they approached the second period with a greater urgency and tempo. This renewed desire and hunger resulted in a second goal within 5 minutes of the restart which subsequently killed off any bleak Stoke hopes of somehow reversing the scoreline.

The goal — expertly dispatched again by Silva — bore many hallmarks of the slick build-up that led to the first goal. It involved all the same culprits as well, Sterling displaying impressive tenacity to dispossess the stuttering Ndiaye and play the ball back to Walker who, in turn, released Fernandinho who duly found Silva. What followed was as audacious a one-two as you are ever likely to see, with Silva finding Jesus with a firmly hit pass.

Jesus took a touch to control before playing a perfectly weighted cushioned ball back into Silva’s path and that was that; Silva applying a clever finish to guide the ball into the net passed the fast-onrushing Butland. 50 minutes gone. 2-0. Game over.

In a similar manner to their response after going behind in the first half, Stoke briefly rallied, and Martins Indi should have done much better, despite intense City pressure, when the ball landed at his feet five yards out following a Stoke free-kick in a dangerous position to the side of the penalty area. As it was, Martins Indi caught the ball sweetly on the volley but contrived to blaze it wildly over the bar.

That was it in terms of the opportunities City afforded their struggling opponents, who ended the game failing to register a single shot on target.

City, though, continued to probe and threaten and passed up further openings to add gloss to the already comfortable scoreline. The best of these landing to Sterling who, following a controversial dead ball, showed an impressive burst of speed to leave three Stoke defenders trailing in his wake before being halted in his tracks by his England teammate Butland, when attempting to take the ball around the keeper. To compound matters, Sterling had Jesus on hand for what would have been the simplest of tap-ins too.

As it was though, that wasted opportunity mattered little and not too long after, the final whistle sounded. For Stoke, their season won’t be defined by losses against the likes of City. For City, two more wins from their remaining eight matches is all they require.

Their win here means it is extremely plausible that the Manchester derby on April 7th will be the first opportunity they get to finally clinch the title once and for all.

Silva service indeed.

Photo: @wikimedia commons

A Stray Sumerian Tablet

Written by James Gill on . Posted in Books.

On the 13th of March 2018, the Cambridge University Library published their findings on a Sumerian Tablet, their oldest written document. The clay tablet, dating back 4,200 years, was written by a scribe in ancient Iraq.

It consists of six lines of cuneiform script. One of the earliest systems of writing, cuneiform translates to mean “wedge shaped” embodying the manner of the markings carved into clay tablets at the time. The language of the inscription is Sumerian, which is the oldest written language, and the earliest texts in Sumerian date back to 3000 BC.

Originally the thumb-sized tablet was donated to the University in 1921 but disappeared until 2016, during research for the University Library’s 600th anniversary exhibition, ‘Curious Objects’. Senior Fellow at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research Professor Nicholas Postgate had this to say about the tablet:

“In the early years of the 20th Century, we have a disaster. The antiquities market in the West was flooded with thousands of cuneiform tablets. They had been ripped out of their original context in the sites where the illicit robbers were working and distributed across the world.”

“The tablets of an individual archive can be found in museums from Moscow, to London, to Chicago. We may be able to reconstruct what’s going on in the individual tablets and by comparison with the others in the archive as a whole but we can never reconstruct the physical archaeological context from which they came. There is a great loss of information there.

“The content of the tablet is very simple. It simply mentions a large quantity, 22 jars, of lard or egg fat. It gives the name of the responsible official and it states that this fat was dispensed in the city of Zabala.”

Following the exhibition, Postgate further examined the piece and he has plans to publish an academic paper on both the tablet and its wider context this year.

Credit: Pixabay

United suffer from a Sevilla lack of desire to win in the Champion’s League

Written by James Gill on . Posted in Sport.

With momentum swinging in Manchester United’s favour with their 2-1 victory against Liverpool at the weekend, fans would have been hoping their winning ways continued against Sevilla. Contrastingly, their opponents came into the game off the back of a 2-0 loss to Valencia. A win for United would see them get into the Quarter Finals for only the second time in seven years.

Mourinho named a similar side to the one that beat Liverpool with a couple of small changes. De Gea starts in goal with the same back four of Valencia, Bailly, Smalling, and Young. Fellaini came into the side to replace the in-form McTominay to partner Matic in a two-man midfield. Lingard joined Rashford and Sánchez in the attacking positions with Lukaku once again being the lone striker.

The second leg began with a much lower intensity than the first, and it was clear that this would be a slow-burning game without the frenetic energy of the first. That didn’t stop Banega from getting a yellow card after just five minutes though for cynically hacking down his dispossessor.

Manchester United gave Sevilla a little more space that Mourinho would perhaps have liked in the opening quarter-hour but every attacking opportunity the fifth-placed Spanish side got they fired well over the bar. Vázquez was dominant in the midfield area but his teammates let him down in finding passes in the United final third leading to their possession being lost through unforced errors.

The Red Devils were not much better on the ball either and as the minutes passed, fans of both sides became increasingly restless. Neither side played like a place in the Quarter Finals of the Champion’s League was up for grabs. The tempo of both sides was incredibly slow — it was simply bizarre. It wasn’t like the teams were playing with stabilisers on, it was like they hadn’t taken the bike out of the box and assembled it in the first place.

When the first proper chance came knocking, the creator and eventual player taking the shot was none other than Marouane Fellaini. The Belgian opted for power rather than placement and the shot was comfortably parried away from goal from goalkeeper Rico. The most frustrating part of the opportunity was that it was the first real time United went forward with any sort of intent. If they had more belief in their attacking ability they could perhaps have scored.

Yet at halftime, the score stood at 0-0, in one of the worst 45 minutes of football I have ever had watched, comparable to England’s abysmal draw with Algeria at the 2010 World Cup. Old Trafford certainly has become the Theatre of Dreams as every man, woman, and child in the stadium has undoubtedly fallen asleep watching that turgid display.

Within the first few minutes of the second half more had happened than the whole of the first. Lukaku bravely muscled several players off the ball before finding Lingard. The eventual shot was heading straight into the bottom corner if not for a good save by Rico. Moments later Rashford came close too, United were really treating their fans now.

Mourinho made his first substitution in the 59th minute as Fellaini makes way for Pogba. His impact was felt instantaneously felt as the game went back to being mind-numbingly boring. You could almost hear the collective thought of every fan in the stadium worrying about having to tell their other half it’ll be going to penalties.

Finally, in the 74th minute, something happens. Ben Yedder, with his third touch after coming on, fires the ball into the bottom right-hand corner. Now United have egg on their faces playing so defensively. They should feel embarrassed. This is what happens when you park the bus when the threat of the away goal rule looms large.

Mourinho used his last two substitutions to bring on Mata and Martial in place of Valencia and Lingard and the team immediately reacts by going a second goal down by conceding another from Ben Yedder. Even the world class showstopper David de Gea can’t stop everyone on his team working against him.

This is exactly why you don’t park the bus when conceding one goal means you’re basically out. Mourinho should be ashamed of himself for telling his team to play like they did. Manchester United have one of the strongest teams in the competition but he’s acting as if they are the underdogs.

Suddenly hope appeared for United fans when in the 84th minute Lukaku grabbed one back from a corner. They would still need to claw two more back to progress in the competition. The exodus of people leading the stadium suddenly reversed and everyone returned to their seats hoping for a miracle.

Rashford got a yellow card in the dying seconds of added time as United — with complete disregard for the whole point of football — don’t push forward, they don’t try to score, they just waste the time and money of every fan in the stadium and watching at home. It was the worst United display I have ever seen. In the Champion’s League too, not the damned Carabao Cup. Pathetic. Every player on the pitch wearing red was a disgrace. If you can’t fire yourself up for a game this big then maybe football isn’t the sport for you.

Photo: Vaidant Jain

Review: Rudy’s Neapolitan Pizza

Written by Vaidant Jain on . Posted in Food & Drink.

On a rather early Friday evening, I took my foodie companion with me to try out the much-awaited Rudy’s Neapolitan Pizza. We took a bus to Piccadilly bus station and from there it was a pleasant ten minutes walk through the Northern Quarter until we reached the equally trendy Ancoats. Despite it being very early in the evening, the restaurant was already jam packed. Pro tip: Arrive soon after opening time to avoid a long wait.

Rudy’s, unlike any other Italian pizzerias in Manchester, felt very authentically Italian and the vibe and ambience of the place was very bright and very cheerful. The chit-chat from the crowd doesn’t seem like noise, but blends in with the background music and the entire restaurant has a scintillating smell of wood-fired ovens.

As it is a walk-in restaurant and they do not take reservations, we didn’t have the option of pre-booking a table. Nonetheless, we asked the waitress for a table for two and were asked to wait at the bar in the meantime. Less than 11 minutes later, we we were seated.

We ordered their famous Campana — sans meat — as a starter and for the mains ordered the Calabrese and the chalkboard special white pizza with potato, mushroom, and olives.

While waiting for the food, we observed the light decor of Rudy’s that is very simple and Scandinavian in style. Within five minutes of ordering, the starter arrived. The Campana was a mixture of buffalo mozzarella and wild rocket radicchio, with some toasted house bread. We ordered the vegetarian alternative by removing prosciutto crudo, which is an Italian ham,  although in my opinion the original would have tasted even better.

Soon after we finished our starter, we were served with our mains. The white pizza — a pizza without a tomato base — was an extra cheesy delight placed atop a mouth-watering Italian crust. The smooth potatoes enhanced the taste of cheese and the salty taste of the mushrooms and olives really completed the experience. The next pizza, the Calabrese, was a sinful combination of tomato sauce, basil, Fior di Latte (fancy Italian cheese) and spicy N’duja sausage. The speciality of this pizza was that the Calabrian sausages  melted into the crispy pizza crust, and when my friend took the first bite, she was taken aback by the heavenly flavour.

Photo: Vaidant Jain
Photo: Vaidant Jain
Photo: Vaidant Jain
Photo: Vaidant Jain

As soon as our plates were taken, we ordered our last course for the night: the chocolate olive oil cake with vanilla ice cream. The cake was somewhere between a cake and a brownie but tasted perfect with the ice cream. The chocolate added a balanced sweet taste and the usage of olive oil made it taste very light. I would recommend Rudy’s Neapolitan Pizza to everyone and especially to students. It is fairly priced and gives you value for money — trust me.

Image: University of Manchester

UoM alumna gets certificate 80 years after graduation

Written by Michael Bahrami-Hessari on . Posted in News.

Catherine Palmer (née Bolton) has finally obtained her University of Manchester graduate certificate, 80 years after graduating.

The document was officially presented to her during her 101st birthday. Her daughter Alison arranged the surprise for her.

Catherine, from Southport, was born in 1917 and entered the Victoria University in Manchester in 1935. As a student, she resided at the Ashburne Hall in Fallowfield and was quite active in University organizations. She sang in the choir and was part of the fencing and athletics clubs.

Upon graduation in 1938, she received a first class degree in English, and attended the graduation ceremonies but never received her certificate. The impending war also meant she also had to immediately move to Glasgow for wartime placements.

After the war, she taught English at the NW Polytechnic in London (now the University of London) and in grammar schools. She had numerous international students among them a future president of the University of Bristol’s student union and a government minister of St. Lucia in the Caribbean.

She had a long and fulfilling teaching career and has three children, five grandchildren and three great grandchildren. A true outdoorswoman, she embarked on a trekking and whitewater rafting adventure in the Himalayas when she was 75. Today, she walks her dog everyday and lives a very independent life.

Photo: Callum Lunn

Live: Feeder

Written by Callum Lunn on . Posted in Music.

10th March 2018, Manchester Academy 

Feeder are a rare survivor amongst 1990s rock bands. Even twenty-five years after their formation, you can’t spend a night in 42s without hearing ‘Just a Day’ or ‘Buck Rogers’. The imprint they have left on our collective consciousness really shows at such fine venues. Since they are touring their Best Of album, it was staggering to hear the number of hits Feeder have under their belt.

The setlist for their show at the Academy was a celebration of the band’s music from start to finish, playing music from their first album, Polythene, all the way through to their most recent EP Arrow. There were no low points or less well-known songs in the set; it was truly the Best Of Feeder.

Feeder are an interesting and almost unique band in that their appeal spans generations. I have seen them twice now. At each show parents are there with their children – both here to see and enjoy the band. This is a testament to Feeder’s longevity and appeal — to think that people who were listening to ‘High’ on their cassette Walkmans (Walkmen?) are now seeing that same band, 20 years later, with their adult offspring!

The performance, however, left little to be desired. That’s not to say it was a bad performance by any stretch. It was very polished with tight instrumentation, good lighting, and three huge screens complementing each song. Yet, there was still something missing. The set just felt a little mechanical and low-energy at points, with the band members rarely owning the stage they have rightfully earned. Vocalist Grant Nicholas’ singing would sometimes be drowned out by other instruments and seemed to sometimes lacked his trademark resonance. Stage banter was at a minimum and I felt just a little more would have rounded off the show well.

Though, the audience certainly got their money’s worth: the band played an impressive 18 tracks with a five-song encore, featuring two excellent acoustic versions of ‘Silent Cry’ and ‘Children of the Sun’. Finishing with crowd-pleaser and party tune ‘Just A Day’, Feeder rounded off very well-polished set, but ultimately their performance was lacking that little bit of oomph which could have made is truly memorable.

7/10

Photo: US Air Force/Ilka Cole

Muscle loss in old age linked to damaged nerves

Written by Michael Bahrami-Hessari on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

Academics from the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Waterloo in Canada recently have uncovered that sarcopenia, or age-related muscle loss, is caused by the destruction of nerves.

Motor nerves are essential to bodily movement because they serve as passages for the electrical signals that control muscle contraction.

In a recently published paper, the group looked at 143 men of varying ages and measured the size of their quadricep (thigh) muscles using MRI scans.

Following this, electromyography was done to measure the electrical activity and size of surviving nerves. Results show that by the age of 75, nerve loss can be as high as 30-50%.

Unsurprisingly, people that suffered from sarcopenia had the least number of functional nerves.

However, the group also discovered that to compensate for the diminished number of nerves, the surviving ones could branch out and rescue the muscle fibres that had lost nervous connection.

This process, called motor unit remodelling occurs relatively early in the ageing process and may slow down or even prevent sarcopenia.

This phenomenon was observed more in older men who are more active than those who were more sedentary. This finding has been taken as further evidence of the benefits of being physically active at an early age.

The study also discovered that young men had higher numbers of motor units than active, pre-sarcopenic and sarcopenic older men.  A motor unit is made up of a nerve cell (neuron) and the muscle it stimulates. A group of motor units work together to move one muscle fibre.

However, active and pre-sarcopenic older men had larger but fewer motor units, which suggests muscle fibres are being salvaged through motor unit remodelling.

Scientists are yet to find out why nerve damage occurs with age, but it seems the effects of such damage can be slowed with regular exercise.

Another recently published study by researchers at King’s College London and the University of Birmingham also find that seniors who cycled regularly had greater muscle mass and strength than those who did not engage in such physical activity.

Active cyclists also had lower blood cholesterol levels and higher testosterone values.  But perhaps most surprisingly, these individuals had immune systems comparable to people 30 years younger as revealed by their high T-cell counts.

T-cells are specialized immune cells that help fight off infections and are produced by the thymus. As we age, the thymus shrinks, and fewer T-cells are produced.

These two studies provide further evidence of the seemingly innumerable benefits of regular physical activity, especially for an ageing population.

photo: Amazon Studios

Review: Gringo

Written by Sana Ditta on . Posted in Film.

Gringo is a confusing mishmash of genres that fails to reach a clear direction, with a stumbling plot and plain characters. Is Edgerton in way of his head?

To say this movie has a messy plot is an understatement. As if the writers have taken the very same weed pills that Harold helps produce, multiple story lines running through the film are forgotten and hastily remembered in an amnesiac haze.

The movie itself was unspectacular but for some reason, I couldn’t say I was bored. The ensemble cast makes you wonder why they chose to star in a seemingly B-list movie and at times, they do feel slightly overqualified. Yet, I was still entertained for the most part.

Gringo stars down-on-his-luck Harold Soyinka — played by the brilliant David Oyelowo — who unknowingly works for a shady drug company. Hapless Harold is a really nice guy and the film goes out of its way to show you this. But life seems to be treating him harshly. He’s in debt, his bosses (Charlize Theron and Joel Edgerton) are hard on him, and he’s losing his wife. All in all, you can’t help but feel bad for the guy.

Along with his bosses, he travels to Mexico to handle some business but Harold stays back and fakes his kidnapping. Then proceeds a bunch of cat-and-mouse chases as a number of people try to find Harold, including a Mexican drug cartel.

Oyelowo does his best to inject life into his character and the movie on the whole. He brings a slice of comedy into Gringo and you can’t help but cheer at the end when he finally gets his way.

His character brings a moral tale — that good things happen to good people. But overall, the movie is full of poorly written characters that are unable to develop due to the messy plot. And here is where it loses its footing.

There are numerous subplots that aren’t really there for the majority of the film and are often neglected. The unaware Sunny (played by Amanda Seyfried) falls victim to this even though it would have been great to see more of her. Charlize Theron is as always great but her character is one-dimensional and a little too familiar. Meanwhile, Joel Edgerton plays a dumb, charmless character who is infuriating. Both provide humour in their non-PC lines but are at times too overbearing.

Most characters have lovable qualities but are little more than caricatures. That would be fine if this movie was a comedy. But is it a comedy? Unfortunately, the film suffers from a genre identity crisis. It can’t decide if it’s a comedy, a crime thriller, or a drama. The messy genre coverage leaves the film unaware of where it stands. As most of the characters are hyperbolic, it would have been better suited to be a full-on comedy and perhaps would have even fared better if they amped up the humour.

Gringo is a cliched movie with a cliched narrative that somehow at times manages to be overly complicated. On top of this, there are multiple twists that add nothing to the story other than humour. Like Icarus, Gringo flies too close to the sun and gets burned in a lot of places. But the end product is one that can be enjoyable, if you keep expectations low. At least all of the loose ends are tied up neatly by the end of the film and catharsis is served in sweet, sweet karma.

Starring a great cast, Gringo baffles so much that I can’t decide if the film is terrible or so bad that it’s wonderful. However, I can’t say that I was bored or left feeling underwhelmed. So, I guess it did do its job.

3/5

Photo: Public Library of Science

Sir John Sulston

Written by Michael Bahrami-Hessari on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

Sir John Sulston, the pioneering geneticist known for leading the British team of the Human Genome Project (HGP) passed away on the 6th of March. He was 75.

Sulston insisted that the HGP’s important undertaking be made open to all, and convinced the US National Institute of Health and the UK’s Wellcome Trust, to increase funding for this endeavour. However, in 1998, the publicly-funded HGP faced competition from the privately-owned Celara Genomics, claiming they could sequence the genome more efficiently than the HGP.

In the end, both parties achieved what they set out to do, but using different techniques. In 2003, the HGP consortium composed of 20 research institutes from around the world, published the completed genomic sequence. The information obtained by the HGP is now being used for the development of various genetic tests and targeted therapies against HIV and cancer.

In 2002, Sulston was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology along with Robert Horvitz and Sydney Brenner “for their discoveries concerning genetic regulation of organ development and programmed cell death”. The trio worked on the microscopic roundworm, Caenorhabditis elegans, to elucidate the embryonic development of organs. In particular, they explained the genetic bases of how daughter cells arising from a single mother cell disappear as the worm developed. This process, apoptosis, or “programmed cell death” also explains how the webbed part of a human foetus’ hand is eliminated as it matures.

Sulston was born in Buckinghamshire and won a scholarship at the Merchant Taylors’ School at Hertfordshire and a BA and PhD in chemistry from the University of Cambridge. From 1966 to 1969, as a postdoctoral researcher at the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences, where he was first introduced to C. elegans, marking a shift in his career as a researcher.

From 1992 to 2000, he became the first director of the Wellcome Sanger Institute, a non-profit research centre that was the largest single contributor to HGP. He was knighted in 2001 and was appointed a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) in 2017.

In 2003, Sulston, along with 21 other Nobel Laureates, signed the Humanist Manifesto III­, a document first drafted in 1933 that espouses the promotion of knowledge by rational analysis, or empiricism, along with ethical values and the common good. He was also a firm believer of free access to scientific information and was very critical of Roche’s patent of antiviral Tamiflu during the 2005 bird flu pandemic.

From 2008 until his death, he was chair of the Institute of Science, Ethics, and Innovation of the University of Manchester whose mission was to examine the role and moral responsibilities of science and technology in the modern world.

Sir John Sulston is survived by his wife Daphne (née Bate), children, and grandchildren.

Interview: Hannie

Written by Hannah Brierley on . Posted in Music.

The aptly named Hannie, a combination of Hannah Koppenberg and Annie Wagstaff, have recently released their debut single ‘Cosmic Bound’. The duo has gone from uploading videos of themselves on YouTube to now having 160,000 followers. Hannie, who met whilst at ACM in Surrey has a lot of cards on the table, and big things to come in the future.

The Mancunion were lucky enough to have a quick chat with Hannie

Everyone loves a good origin story, tell us about how you met!

We met at university and were put in a few classes together. Turns out we were actually the only girls on our course so we ended up playing in lots of bands together.

How would you summarise your sound?

It’s very upbeat, we only want to make music that makes people feel happy and want to dance. Music is so empowering and we want to use that in a positive way.

Is your music how you first imagined/originally wanted it to sound like, or has it evolved over time?

Yeah, it’s pretty similar to how we always wanted it to sound. However, we have also written a bunch of songs that are very different but I guess that is the outcome when you write new songs every day, sometimes they just turn out differently.

What, or who are your main influences?

Annie: for me, I really look up to guitarists like Nile Rogers and Joe Pass, I love jazz and admire the jazz guys so much, but I’m also really into funk and making really simple parts sound great and exciting. Jamiroquai also is such a massive influence I love their music!
Hannah: Robert Glasper is a very big influence on me but also people like Herbie Hancock or Stevie Wonder. And obviously some amazing songwriters like Max Martin.

What’s your favourite part of your music, or about being a musician?

Being a musician you get to work with so many different people every day which is amazing, plus most of the time you create something completely new from scratch, just going with what comes to your head at that moment.

What kind of students were you like at ACM?

We were such nerds. We spent most our time either in the library reading books on composition or in our rooms practising. We just saw the time we were there as an opportunity to really delve into our instruments and get as good as we could.

What do you want to be remembered for?

For our music, our songs, and our playing.

If you could go on tour with anyone, who would it be?

Jamiroquai for sure. We saw them a month back and their show is unreal, there’s such an amazing energy and it would be amazing to be part of that.

Whose music at the moment are you listening to?

Annie: So many people! I love Anne-Marie at the moment and I will always love the old Maroon 5 stuff (Songs About Jane).
Hannah: I agree, I listen to so many different artists all the time but I guess I really love Jungle, Mø, and DNCE. Can never go wrong with them!

What are your plans for this year?

We’re going to be releasing loads more songs and start playing some live shows, keep an eye out!

Photo: Tuomas Vitikainen @ Wikimedia Commons

Live review: Imagine Dragons

Written by Blanca Herreros De Tejada Lobo on . Posted in Music.

Last Saturday, Imagine Dragons played once again in Manchester. On this occasion, it was Manchester Arena who hosted the group who brought us Evolve — the last of, and very likely one of their best, albums. It’s incredible to see the evolution of a group. At this point, it doesn’t seem like they could get any better. To sum up the gig in four words: entertaining, energetic, and intensely personal.

The group came on stage to a great start playing ‘I Don’t Know Why’. It was immediately evident that the group has undergone a change in aesthetic in the past couple of years. Rather than all wearing similar outfits, each of the band members dressed differently, from plain tee-shirts and jeans to colourful flame patterned jackets.

Along with playing songs their new album, they also played some of their most popular songs, to which the audience responded with a euphoric roar and an enthusiastic sing-along.

This alternative band can play anything, from powerful rock tracks to slow ballads, each song transforming the mood of the stadium. No matter what they sang, the song was always full of powerful messages to which anyone can relate. I guess that is one of the things that make them so special, the fact that in every song, they talk about real life issues that can affect anyone.

Usually, it is the crowd who is devoted to the singer, in this case, it was the opposite. Dan Reynolds, the groups’ lead singer not only gave all he had during every song; in addition, he opened himself up and got personal with the fans, making this concert a special one.

The ending was the moment you realised why you have got to love Imagine Dragons. Dan Reynolds was on the floor embracing the moment, the sound, the people, the shouting, and the whole band knew that the best was to be saved for last. They teased the crowd for a good three minutes before starting to play ‘Demons’. A great finale for a great show.

Amazing music, great show, and an extraordinary band. What else can you ask for? Not only are Imagine Dragons an incredibly talented group of musicians, but in addition, their down to earth attitude brings them closer to the crowd. Imagine Dragons is a band you need to see in all their glory.

Photo: Misaochan @ Wikimedia Commons

Review: One Plus

Written by Aiswarya Kishor on . Posted in Food & Drink.

When I returned to Manchester after the winter break, I heard through the grapevine of a new hotpot restaurant in town: One Plus. Although the restaurant had only opened a few months prior to my visit, I had already read a number of rave reviews online. The concept of the restaurant piqued my curiosity and I decided it was worth further investigation. And so, the next weekend that I was free, I grabbed an innocent bystander (also one of my closest friends) and went to One Plus to see if it deserved its current 5-star rating on Google Reviews.

And the verdict? It does! Our expectations were high and One Plus did not let us down. As soon as we entered the restaurant, the staff greeted us and explained the concept of an off-the-belt hotpot meal. First, you are shown to a table with your very own individual hotpot cooker (perfect for people with special dietary needs). You then pick the broth of your choice, with options including: Tom Yum (tasty and Thai-style), Hot Spicy (popular ­– but it will set your mouth on fire), Chicken (mild and wonderful) and Vegetarian (the mildest of them all).

Next, you either create your own sauce or choose their tried-and-tested mixed house sauce. My own concoction featured a blend of sesame butter, soy sauce, chilli oil and coriander, which I have to admit did taste quite strange. Thankfully, the taste of the broth blended in nicely with that of the sauce. Once your sauce is ready and the broth begins to boil, you then pick up the dishes you want to add to your pot from the rotating conveyor belt. There are over 50 dishes on the menu – including a range of vegetables, seafood and meats (some halal) – so you are truly spoilt for choice! If the dish that you want does not appear on the belt, you can request it and the the staff will bring some directly to your table.

To my boiling pot, I decided to add some Enoki mushrooms, thick noodles, seaweed, frozen tofu, sweet potato, pork luncheon meat and mussels. It was an unusual mix of ingredients but the Hot Spicy broth made it delicious. My vegetarian friend also enjoyed his meal and particularly liked the Tom Yum broth (Tasting his food gave me a bad case of food envy, so I second that recommendation). Once we were done eating, we felt full but not stuffed. The hotpot is a feel-good meal that is perfect for a student budget: the broth and the sauces (with unlimited refills) cost only 5 pounds and each dish is individually priced. So for those of you who haven’t tried a traditional Chinese hotpot, I would highly recommend a visit to One Plus. Eating a hotpot is a cultural experience disguised as a very tasty meal.

Photo: AlloCiné.fr

Review: Annihilation

Written by Sana Ditta on . Posted in Film.

Annihilation follows a familiar plot. A group of people wander into the unknown in order to find out more information and see what exactly is going on. We’ve seen the set-up before, but something about this film feels different from the get-go. And by the end of it, you’re left with more questions than answers. I’m not going to lie; this film is bizarre and it’s surreal. But, strangely enough, it works.

The film follows a female-led group of scientists as they enter and explore an area ominously dubbed as “The Shimmer” (honestly, they could have picked a better name — this sounds like some off-brand highlighter). The Shimmer is a quarantined area that is slowly expanding and no-one knows why.

There have been attempts to send people in before, but no-one has returned. Apart from one person, Kane — played by Oscar Isaac — who had been missing for a year (presumably dead) but remembers nothing and then falls ill.

Lena — played by Natalie Portman —, a biologist and Kane’s wife, offers to enter The Shimmer as part of another team. Portman’s acting brilliantly conveys the anxiousness and tenseness of her character as she travels further into the unknown. She’s joined by an equally secretive psychologist and leader Dr Ventress — played by Jennifer Jason Leigh.

Both characters are highly elusive, with Leigh being particularly hard to read. Gina Rodriguez and Tessa Thompson also shine in compelling performances. Each character is given a chance to develop as they explore the uncanny, and face their fears. In this way, their flaws are emphasized.

The disjointed narrative structure allows three separate timelines — before, during, and after — to run at the same time, focusing especially on what happened in the quarantined area. A sense of tension and suspense underpins the unpredictable narrative, and, surprisingly, the pacing is not an issue.

There’s an ever-present sense of paranoia that’s echoed by each character throughout the film. This further amplifies the fear of the unknown and what’s ahead. The mysterious Shimmer is full of mutated creatures which add to the horror aspect. The story is unique and captivating but at times feels a bit too ambitious and, dare-I-say, vague.

The phrase “I don’t know” is uttered too many times which is where the ambiguous nature of the movie comes in. However, at times it feels like a lazy plot device chosen to leave everything nonsensical and unclear. Surely, there was a better way to do this? Things like this make it understandable why some people might not like the film.

What it loses in story, however, it makes up for visually. This film deserves to be on the big screen and it is a shame it’s not available to see in the cinema in the UK. I can’t help but imagine how wondrous it would be watching this in the cinema with the gruesome scenes amplified.

The stunning visuals and sound design are both haunting and atmospheric. The imagery is dreamlike and peaceful and quite literally out of this world. The world-building itself is fascinating to watch and almost feels magical if it wasn’t so dangerous. The film boasts opulence and extravagance but in a way where it’s apparent that something is not quite right.

Special attention has to be paid in the last thirty minutes in particular. It’s a fantastically weird concoction of transcendence and mysteriousness but once you wrap your head around it, it’s nothing short of a masterpiece. The plot-twist, however, is predictable but Garland has found a niche that makes it somewhat fresh and excusable.

The nature of consciousness, humanity, and doppelgangers are questioned, and it is terrifyingly intense. Once the credits roll, the film stays with you and makes you question everything. Annihilation leaves a lasting impression mirroring that of Ex Machina.

Annihilation is now available on Netflix.

4/5

 

 

 

 

Review: The Sound of Music

Written by Izzy Lewis on . Posted in Theatre.

Since childhood, I have been a hardcore The Sound of Music fan; the Julie Andrews film and 2006 Lloyd-Webber revival were my constant favourites and this musical still remains my movie of choice on a hungover Sunday morning. The chance to see Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical about love and music on the eve of the Austrian Anschluss at the Palace Theatre was one I entered with high expectations which, with retrospect, were always going to leave me a little disappointed.

The show opened with the production’s finest asset; the choir of nuns. Their harmonies throughout the show were enchanting and set against the magnificent backdrop of Nonnberg Abbey brought an incredibly warm and spiritual feel to the production. Lead by Megan Llewellyn as the Mother Abbess, one of the strongest operatic singers I have ever had the joy of hearing live, every return to the Abbey was a real treat.

In contrast, our introduction to Lucy O’Byrne’s Maria through the titular song was a little underwhelming. Whilst the technical demands of the vocals clearly allowed little room for movement, poor direction left O’Byrne swamped by a stage which looked bare compared with the other amazing sets. To her credit, I do feel that O’Byrne’s microphone was too quiet, yet whilst this technical issue did improve throughout the show, these were never quite turned up to desirable levels for any of the actors.

O’Byrne’s Maria is a hard one to categorise; whilst speaking in a way that mimicked Julie Andrews’ softly spoken voice, it lacked something of the originality that other characters brought in. Simultaneously, I felt she was sadly let down by one very bad wig that was far more ‘Bubble from AbFab’ than ‘ex-nun in 1930s Austria’.

Vocally, there is no denying O’Byrne’s skill and her voice was beautiful and understated. I did, however, feel like the choice not to have Maria belt at any point in the production was to its detriment as lyrics were missed due to issues of clarity. Contrastingly, we heard excessive over-annunciation from the children during both renditions of ‘So, Long Farewell’ that I feel came from poor direction; the Von Trapp children all had beautiful voices (Gretl particularly), yet this made the song feel comical where it shouldn’t have.

More unintentional comedy came from Neil McDermott’s casting as Captain Von Trapp; a good enough singer, McDermott seemed to lack chemistry with the children and had a tendency to elongate syllables in an incredibly unnatural way, whilst the dialogue leading up to the Captain and Maria’s first kiss was so stunted and awkward that I had to stifle back laughter. That being said, I did enjoy his rendition of ‘Edelweiss’.

A special mention should go to choreography throughout this show, something I never usually pick up on. ‘Sixteen Going on Seventeen’, performed by Katie Shearman and Jordan Oliver was a particular highlight; Oliver is clearly a phenomenal dancer and the moments of synchronisation between the pair and incorporation of ballet and waltz elements were mesmerising.

Two other numbers which deserve particularly praise were Elsa and Max’s songs, ‘How Will Love Survive’ and ‘No Way to Stop It’. Neither song featuring in the film (and therefore being less known by the audience), Kara Lane and Howard Samuels played the pair with charm and wit, providing some of the best performances of the night which was no mean feat given the unlikeable nature of the characters.

A big scale production with a magnificent orchestra, exquisite sets and beautiful costumes, the technical elements of The Sound of Music meant nobody could leave the Palace Theatre having not enjoyed the production; that being said, I do feel that the show was let down by poor direction and an underwhelming male lead. However, the choice to end both acts with Megan Llewellyn’s ‘Climb Ev’ry Mountain’ was a genius one; Llewellyn is the star of the show and her breathtaking powerhouse vibrato allowed me to leave the leave the theatre with a sense of satisfaction that I don’t think the rest of the production entirely justified.