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Month: November 2011

Don’t Cry for me, Christopher Kane

Written by Claudia Canavan on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

The immense power wielded by the fashion industry is perhaps best exemplified by the mass hysteria it is capable of generating. Hard graft may be put in to join the frenzy – putting oneself on a waiting list to spend thousands of pounds on a Hermes Birkin bag, for example; or networking with admirable zeal to gain an invite to an exclusive event. Slightly strange behavior to the non- fashion enthusiast, perhaps, but certainly easily dismissed as an odd idiosyncrasy or a slight perversion of priorities- certainly nothing terribly detrimental to our collective social psyche.

At what point, however, does a harmless love of the fashion circus and a devotion to designers transcend healthy interest to become, quite frankly, ever so slightly daft? This week, Vogue.com reported that certain (unnamed) audience members at the Christopher Kane Spring/ Summer 2011 show wept at the sheer beauty of his creations. Undoubtedly the collection was sublime- shimmering shift dresses adorned with fine gold embellishment provided breathtaking viewing, and Mr Kane should certainly be lauded for his undeniable design talent. But surely crying over his creations should be saved for those personally connected to the designer, as opposed to those for whom his gift simply means a stunning new piece of clothing to be gushed over at a glittering social soiree? Now, by no means am I claiming some sort of immunity from a clothes related weep fest- a recent fight with the washing machine that left a favourite cable knit jumper unwearable resulted in the shedding of (a very few) tears. That minor disaster, however, occurred in the privacy of my own home and was a genuine expression of grief for a much loved item- not a somewhat over-the-top expression of an appreciation of beautiful garments in a room full of fellow fashion fanatics.

It is hyped- up responses to events such as these which arguably purport a negative stereotype of those who chose to create a career in the arena of fashion.  An over inflated sense of self importance must be significantly reigned in if one wishes to maintain the respect of society at large whilst working in a world which is based largely on aesthetics- self- awareness is key.

And so, I believe, it is perhaps time to reconnect with fashion in all of its frivolous glory- to embrace our love of clothes and dressing as a thoroughly enjoyable respite from the mundane monotonies of daily life- something to salivate, rather than stress, over. Our experiences with fashion should bring us unbridled joy which does not require an abundance of emotion to prove our love to whomever happens to be watching; rather it should be something we indulge and engage in for nothing other than our own pleasure.

Donatella’s Diffusion Line

Written by Claudia Canavan on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

In the wake of a plethora of infinitely successful high end collaborations with designers from Karl Lagerfeld to Lanvin over the past decade, H&M have managed to bridge the gap between ultra elite fashion house and budget high street shopping. The latest incarnation of this model comes in the guise of a collection from Versace, which head honcho Donatella is marketing as the very ‘essence’ of the Italian power label. An inspection of the collection (available to view in its entirety at Vogue.com) reveals this to be true to an extent- overly garish prints, tight-as-you-like dresses and a disproportionate amount of inspiration drawn from the animal kingdom. True Versace, however, is at least always executed in the finest of fabrics and crafted with the upmost attention to detail. Sadly, these designs are an amalgamation of all that is (in my opinion) wrong with the company and the synthetic materials which so often render a gorgeous H&M item distinctly cheap looking. A few gems can be found in amongst the debris (such as the black silk cap sleeve dress, £79.99), though, regrettably, the vast majority of these pieces will inevitably be picked up by those who value a label over genuine style.

 

Labour behind the label

Written by Scott McEwan on . Posted in News.

Written by Scott McEwan & Laura Nicholson

Fair-trade goods are an accepted part of our day-to-day lives from tea and coffee to bananas and even bean sprouts. It has become expected that fairly traded foods should be widely and easily available to consumers. However, a similar state within the clothing industry is yet to emerge. Labour behind the Label is an international pressure group campaigning for the rights of workers all over the world working in garment factories producing clothes for a number of the international brands found on the High street an its latest report delivers interesting insights into the labour and production policies.

The ‘Let’s clean up fashion’ report published annually by the group is a thorough investigation into the ethical practices of international brands such as Gap and those of the Arcadia group. The report grades 29 different companies out of five stars on their performance in implementing acceptable working conditions and a living wage for employees.

According to the report a living wage should cover basic needs, include a small amount for saving or discretionary income and cater for dependants. However the report claims that while some companies have made inroads to implementing a living wage, disagreements over the definition of a living wage have proved a hindrance to progress.

Those companies scoring a grade of zero did not respond to the group’s request for information and are assumed to reject the principle of a living wage. In contrast, companies such as Next and Monsoon Accessorize scored the highest grades(3.5 out of five) according to the report which praised them for offering “examples of steps to develop and implement a living wage methodology in supplier base, and are making progress with a number of pilot projects.”

Other companies which attained relatively high grades were Primark (3) and New Look (3). Whereas companies who attained low grades such as Levi Strauss & co and H&M who both received a grade one were reported to accept the principle of a living wage but appear to be making little progress towards applying it in their production policy.

The report explains: “H&M’s projects, which measure success based on achievement of minimum wages, do not show evidence of delivering a living wage for workers any time soon.”

In recent years many companies have been exposed for their use of sweatshops from M&S to GAP and it has been cases of dangerous factories and child labour that have attracted high levels of media attention. In the case of GAP who had their image tarnished because of child labour appeared to have made huge inroads in their ethical practices, being praised in 2007 and 2009. However it seems that with the media spotlight off, they have discarded the plans to achieve living wages.

There are many ways to get involved with the campaign from logging on to the website to donating to the various charities supporting the cause. A practical way of putting your voice to the campaign is send a letter to your local MP through War on Want ‘Stop Sweatshop exploitation’ with enough support the issue will be raised in parliament.

 

Follow the Business & Finance twitter feed: @SD_business

 

Live: Incubus @ Apollo

Written by Edward Usher on . Posted in Music.

Incubus
Apollo
9th November
2 stars

When writing a review of a gig it’s always important to include important relevant information such as mood, crowd reaction, set list, ratio of new material to favoured crowd-pleasers and so on. So I shall do so.

Band: Incubus. Venue: O2 Apollo. Mood: tepid. Crowd reaction: minimal. Set list: Privilege, Pardon Me, Adolescence, Promises Promises, some more songs, Warning (Acoustic), Nice To Know You, Megalomaniac and more. Ratio of new material to favoured crowd-pleasers: as was to be expected.

But what was really the focal point of the entire event, and therefore what I should as a responsible reviewer dedicate the majority of this piece to, was Brandon Boyd’s vest. Such a vest, white and tattered, six sizes too big for him, displaying a disconcerting amount of skinny indie-boy flank, it swung perilously from his contorted frame as he squirmed through a seemingly never-ending array of on-stage histrionics. No one seemed more perturbed by this terrifying vest than guitarist, Harvard undergraduate and professional ‘fro-smith Mike Einziger, whose faultless axe wielding struggled to make up for a woeful lack of stage presence. Boyd’s vocals, and the tightness of the general performance, were nonetheless impeccable – no mean feat considering that this was their sixth date in a week, their second night in a row in Manchester and that the crowd were supplying them with about as much energy as is used by a super-long-life mini-maglite.

So while the general outcome was disappointing, there were some highlights. The projections on the backdrop were so poor as to be amusing, the beer was nice and the toilets were clean. The bouncers were also very accommodating. It was just a shame that all these plus-points were nullified by some sweaty shirtless fucktard who repeatedly stood on my toes. Hence the poor rating.

Incubus – Wish You Were Here (live)

Live: The Smashing Pumpkins

Written by Joe Goggins on . Posted in Music.

11th November 2011

Apollo

8/10

First things first – this isn’t really the Smashing Pumpkins. Jimmy Chamberlin is drumming elsewhere, having apparently found the initial Pumpkins reunion ‘musically unfulfilling’; bassist D’Arcy Wretzky, judging by last year’s mugshot and tragically-tipsy call to a local radio station, is firmly in the grip of drug addiction, and original guitarist James Iha’s relationship with his old bandmates is long since beyond repair after a decade of acrimony. Thus, Billy Corgan, frontman and principle songwriter, takes the Apollo stage tonight with a band of session musicians, promoting new record Oceania in what he’s admitted is a last-ditch attempt to regain some relevance for what was once the world’s biggest rock band.

If Corgan can’t win the masses back over – an arena tour and slew of headline festival appearances in 2008 met with lukewarm reviews – he can certainly try to preach to the more dedicated of the once-converted. Accordingly, tonight’s setlist falls firmly into the ‘fans favourites’ category; not only does it do away with any material from the decidedly-poor comeback record Zeitgeist, but it also sees the airing of more obscure material from their hit records. Huge singles ‘Today’ and ‘Disarm’ are foregone in favour of ‘Geek U.S.A.’ and ‘Silverfuck’, to a fervent response; the evening’s mellower moments are provided not by the gold-certified ‘1979’, but the lesser-known ‘Soma’ and ‘For Martha’ instead. It’s a move that less wins over the crowd than has them in raptures, and secures considerable enthusiasm for the inevitable appearance of brand-new tracks. Nevertheless, Corgan saves a couple of his biggest hitters for last, signing off with the furious guitar of ‘Zero’ and searing ‘Bullet with Butterfly Wings’; this might not have been the genuine article, but it was certainly good enough for me.

Live: Bass Drum of Death

Written by Joe Goggins on . Posted in Music.

7th November 2011

The Castle Hotel

7/10

Given that it’s an area already deeply associated with our city’s ‘alternative’ culture, it’s pretty surprising to note that there seems to be something of a dearth of live music venues in Manchester’s Northern Quarter; outwith the obviously legendary Night and Day Café, only the Castle Hotel presents itself as a regular live venue, with a healthy programme lined up for the rest of 2011 and tonight, it’s strikingly-named garage duo Bass Drum of Death on the bill.

This is a band that quite clearly recognises the value in keeping things simple; heavily distorted guitar, racing drums and typically grungy vocals comprise the Mississippi twosome’s modus operandi.  The Castle’s back room – kitted out with an impressive sound system as opposed to the dartboard and moth-eaten furniture you might expect to find in such an establishment – proves as good a setting as any for the band to air debut record GB City in its entirety, alongside a handful of early tracks. The detached manner of guitar/vocalist John Barrett – only comfortable with barking lyrics from behind a thick, matted fringe – coupled with a marked lack of stage banter, might be interpreted as a hint at some kind of live insecurity from the band. Rather, the modest Monday night crowd is bearing witness to a highly-polished live set perfected during over many a U.S.-wide tour; it’s difficult to believe that this is the band’s first European adventure. So confident are they in the aggressive scuzz of their debut LP, in fact, they don’t even feel the need to adapt their Odd Future collaboration, ‘64’, for their own shows, putting faith instead in their classically reverb-soaked sound – and as they close a short-but-sweet set with a blistering rendition of ‘Velvet Itch’, it’s not difficult to understand why.

Bass Drum of Death – Heart Attack Kid

Live: Now Wave at the Ritz – Stephen Malkmus/Girls/Spectrals

Written by Joe Goggins on . Posted in Music.

10th November 2011

The Ritz

8/10

The Ritz can genuinely lay claim to being a historic venue; it was in this room that The Smiths performed for the first time, that the Happy Mondays honed the indie house hybrid that would take the world by storm, and that’s seen early shows from The Stone Roses, Arctic Monkeys and even The Beatles. It’s bittersweet, then, to see this famous dancehall fall under corporate sponsorship; whilst the ‘HMV Ritz’ tag is difficult to adjust to, it’s hard to find negatives when the venue’s been fully refurbished and will play host to a formidable Autumn programme. Who better, then, to welcome the Ritz rebirth than Now Wave, Manchester’s finest promoters, with a typically stellar lineup.

Following on from June’s mightily impressive ‘Now Wave at the Apollo’, tonight sees a killer hat-trick sure to keep the Mancunian hipster contingent happy. First up are the ever-more-wonderful Spectrals, a lo-fi Leeds outfit who, with debut LP ‘Bad Penny’, finally deliver on the lovelorn, 1960s-inspired promise that their early shows hinted at. Next up are Girls, riding a wave of acclaim for their second full-length, including a striking 9.3/10 from indie favourites Pitchfork. That record’s hugely satisfying balance between perfect pop melodies and overstated gospel backing translates wonderfully live, whilst frontman Christopher Owens’ deeply personal lyrics pack emotional punch to an almost disconcerting extent.

Rounding off proceedings is Stephen Malkmus, who, shorn of the burden of the ultimately ill-fated Pavement reunion, has returned to his solo career with a renewed vigour that saw August’s ‘Mirror Traffic’ meet with considerable acclamation. That said, it’s a relentless ride through the Jicks back catalogue that not only wins the day here, but also hints at bright futures for both Malkmus and Now Wave themselves; an evening that not only entertained by the spade, but that promises so much more.

Live: Jamie XX @ Warehouse Project

Written by Mark Gallagher on . Posted in Music.

Jamie XX
Warehouse Project
29th October
2 stars

Presenting one of the quickest-selling nights of the final Warehouse Project calendar, beatmaker and one third of Mercury Prize winning trio The XX, Jamie XX , has received plenty of critical acclaim of his own, becoming one of the world’s most sought after producers following a string of remixes, and a complete rework of the late, great Gil Scott Heron’s album, We’re New Here. His headline set brought together elements of funk, electro and house, building visible waves of anticipation amongst the bopping heads of the sell out crowd, all of whom are waiting for a big set and some recognisable tunes. Regular interlacing of the intense New York Is Killing Me between tunes was the only real treat offered, despite the faithful faces egging him on for a big-drop finish. Whilst gaining a growing reputation for his producing talents, he is also creating an unpredictability regarding his set lists, becoming known as somewhat self-indulgent. Respectable in some aspects, artists sticking true to themselves instead of pandering to more ‘commercial’ crowds is admirable – but this has to be judged against the packed room of fans paying upwards of £20 to see the headliner and the tracks they know him for.

The impressive collection of other artists however did not disappoint. The main stage crowd gathering for Jamie XX witnessed a thumping set from rapper Jay Electronica, spewing his twisting rhymes with huge stage presence and interacting through chants of “Gunchester”. Meanwhile the magnificent Four Tet proved true to form, mesmerising his shape-shifting crowd with high energy house and electronica from start to finish. The culmination resulting in a huge success for the undercard – the crowd leaving not with negativity for the headliner, but a feeling of missed opportunity for the lack of a smashing set that the regulars at the WHP have come to expect.

Live: Rise Against @ Apollo

Written by Tom Ingham on . Posted in Music.

Rise Against
5th November
Apollo
2 stars

Music is certainly a powerful medium, and for veggie do-gooders Rise Against, it provides the perfect opportunity to don the preacher role and try to convert the masses. Although Rise Against are guilty of indulging in this crap, it was nothing compared to the otherwise stunning opening act, Tom Morello with the Nightwatchmen. Morello interspersed his set with various cries for equality, calling on full audience participation for his final hippie number ‘World Wide Rebel Songs’. However, after such a master class from the guitar virtuoso, it had all the promise of a great night of music.

Whether the earlier performance raised the bar too much, I don’t know, but it’s safe to say what followed lacked the variety and prowess of the veteran guitarist. The American punk rockers exploded onto the stage with great energy, crashing about like men possessed, but after an hour of full on, intense rock, the effect wore off. Song after song of repetitive, franticly delivered punk left me feeling like Rise Against were very much a one trick pony, and to make it worse they had the most patronising, air-headed crowd banter that I’ve ever been subject to. The only salvation of the night came from frontman, Tim McIlrath’s acoustic spot, bringing a welcome change of tempo as he delivered fan favourites ‘Swing Life Away’ and ‘Hero of War‘.

Their loyal fans were of course still in great spirits, head banging their way through the ordeal. However, for me there were certainly no fireworks to shout about. Six albums on, with some crowd pleasing anthems, Rise Against set off on a long European and South American tour. You can’t doubt their passion and stamina, but as far as live experiences go, I can’t help but feel slightly disappointed.

Rise Against – Swing Life Away

Rise Against – Hero of War

Live: The King Blues @ Academy 2

Written by Michael Lyons on . Posted in Music.

The King Blues
Academy 2
4th November
4 Stars

 After the support acts finished, I wandered off to grab a beer, praying for more people to show and the mood to lift. The atmosphere was dead at that moment, the last support Cerebral Ballzy had done nothing to endear themselves to the crowd. The lead singer sauntered around on stage swigging on Jack Daniels, shouting into the microphone incoherently, and regularly pulled the finger to the crowd. This arrogant behaviour was pretty boring and pretentious.
I returned to Academy 2 just in time with the venue now packed out. A real buzz and excitement was going around the room. The lights dimmed, and Jonny Fox joined the stage all on his lonesome. He started with some poetry, which went down a treat. It was a savvy ploy to diss David Cameron, people ate that shit up for breakfast. With the crowd whipped up into hysteria with that battle cry for punk, the rest of the band joined Jonny, and straight away they broke into song with ‘Let’s Hang the Landlord’. With such catchy rhythms, I forgot Jonny was singing about murdering someone through asphyxiation. Next up was ‘Set the World on Fire’, this is when shit got crazy. The moshing kicked into life and I was nearly knocked over in the process. The next few songs had a more ska reggae feel to them, before the anarchy returned with ‘The Streets are Ours’ during which the drum cymbals were covered in booze and then set alight. Highly amusing stuff. The gig finished well and of course this cult-like crowd called for an encore. The lead singer returned on his own for some more spoken word entitled ‘5 Bottles of Shampoo’. Once again, I was very impressed.

The King Blues have a cult-like following, and the fans were treated to a very energetic and passionate performance. Quite a big variety of songs, and when you listen to a full set, you receive a convoluted message. The first album Under the Dog is more ska than anything, where as their latest album Punk and Poetry is sincerely punk. Songs like ‘We are Fucking Angry’ is a great theme song for the recent student riots.

Is a Punk revival coming though? I highly doubt it.

The King Blues – Headbutt

The King Blues – I Got Love

Live: Maccabees @ Sound Control

Written by Patrick Thornton on . Posted in Music.

Maccabees
Sound Control
31st October
5 stars

I was surprised, to say the least, when flicking through Manchester’s gig listings to stumble upon this little gem. To hear the Maccabees would be playing the modestly-sized Sound Control in Manchesterwas music to my ears, considering their last Mancunian venture was to the 1,500-capacity Academy 1. These Indie veterans have had crowds stomping and chanting along to catchy choruses since the release of their early demos. However, on this occasion, the band would be previewing tracks off their up and coming third release, Given to the Wild (to be released 9 January 2012).

A sweaty, testosterone-filled attic was the set for a cracking line-up and the first and only support act of the evening was London’s 2:54. They came to the stage with the swagger and confidence that encapsulated their guitar-driven set, echoing a ‘90s grunge sound. The female singer slurred like a young Shirley Manson to great effect through the melody-driven tracks. The crowd weren’t as impressed. The biggest cheers from the apparently stagnant watchers were in response to insightful comments about the Maccabees, and it was certainly the Brighton band that stole the evening.

The roars of an electric crowd echoed around the room like you would expect from a band with such a high cult following. They opened with two new tracks that seemingly failed to motivate the horde to the degree that classics such as ‘First Love’, ‘X-Ray’ and ‘Can You Give It’ did straight after. The new tracks intertwined perfectly into a set that saw the band draw on material from their first two albums. As to be expected, the older tracks were appreciated to a greater extent but one feels that the new additions will become equally cherished in the months to come. Apart from a few hiccups with the sound, and the usually shy Orlando complaining about something or other, this was another sterling set from the Brighton boys.

The Maccabees – Pelican (live)

The Maccabees – First Love

Live: Evanescence @ Apollo

Written by James Birtles on . Posted in Music.

Evanescence
Apollo
7th November
5 stars

This is Evanescence’s first UK date since Download 2007 and first UK tour for 7 years, understandably the 7 date tour is sold out as it is an opportune time to relive the early noughties with their famous tracks like ‘Bring Me To Life’ and ‘Going Under’.

Opening for Evanescence tonight are The Pretty Reckless, fronted by ever controversial The Grinch and Gossip Girl actress Taylor Momsen. Having only released one album so far, most of their debut Light Me Up is performed with The White Stripes’ ‘Seven Nation Army’ also added. While ever controversial, it is not pushed to the limit it was at Download earlier this year and as such the setlist is more enjoyable and less cringe worthy with highlights being ‘Miss Nothing’ and ‘Make Me Wanna Die’.

Starting with ‘What You Want’ from the self-titled new release then delving into the more known territory of ‘Going Under’, the vocals from Amy Lee are second to none. While the newer material is not as well known by most of the crowd, the recording doesn’t even match up to the live performance. When such classics such as ‘Bring Me To Life’ and ‘Call Me When You’re Sober’ are aired, it’s very hard not to be caught up in singing along with the crowd.

Throughout the entire night, her vocals are perfect from the heavier songs to the songs with only her piano to accompany her, especially the set ender ‘My Immortal’. The only downside is that with this being Evanescence’s first UK tour in 7 years, one would have hoped for more than just an hour and a half setlist.

Even with that in mind, Evanescence are one of the best live acts around. Hopefully the next UK tour won’t take place in 2018.

Beerfest: our top tipples

Written by Emily Clark on . Posted in News.

Article written by Rhian Hawkins

For those who haven’t noticed the stupidly large banner hanging over our Union, the Manchester RAG Beerfest is back from 18th – 20th November, promising to be better than ever. Entertainment includes DJs, bands, comedy acts, a casino room and much more. Not forgetting the beer – over 40 real ales, 20 bottled beers, a range of different ciders and an assortment of over 20 flavoured vodkas. Whether you are just beginning to explore the world of beer or your palate is well accustomed to all things ale, the RAG Beerfest has something to offer everyone.

The RAG Beerfest will be invading the top floor of the Students’ Union and will be open from 2pm till 2am on Friday and Saturday, and 2pm till 12am on Sunday. Tickets cost just £4 and include an exclusive Beerfest glass. They can be purchased in advance from the UMSU Box Office and the Student Activities Office in the Students’ Union. All of the event’s profits will be given to the Manchester Community Fund, which distributes the money amongst local North West charities. Come along to one of Manchester’s most renowned events, help the local community and enjoy all that Beerfest has to offer!

We’ve picked a handful of our favourite ales to show you just why you can’t miss out on this year’s renowned beer festival.

Chocolate

Made especially for the sweet-toothed, this stout-like ale creates a chocolatey hint by combining caramel and roasted malt flavours. Its sweetness is balanced perfectly with a bitterness that means several pints of it can be drunk. The beer is locally produced by the Marble Brewery in Chorlton which is well known for only using organic and vegetarian ingredients in their cask ales.

Old Tom

At a staggering 8.5 percent, the Award Winning Robinson’s Old Tom Ale is the strongest beer offered at the RAG Beerfest. It is a dark, rich ale with roasted nut and chocolate flavours that will ensure you are kept warm despite the cold Manchester weather. It has a deep port finish and a peppery kick that makes it irresistible in the winter months.

RAG XB

An ale named especially for the RAG Beerfest, this pale tart beer is for its rich rounded body, smooth bitterness and subtle tang of malt. It has a long, dry and slightly acidic finish with a fruity underscore and is one of the lighter ales offered at the festival.

Bear Ass

This is a dark copper, malty bitter with a beige head and delicious fruity flavours. The ale is produced locally by the Beartown brewery in Cheshire and has proved popular with younger drinkers, making it the perfect RAG festival beer.

Proper Job IPA

If you are looking for a refreshing fruity ale, this IPA is the perfect choice. It is a golden bitter brewed using Cornish spring water that explodes with citrus grapefruit flavours. It was voted “Champion Ale” at the 2011 Quality Drinks Awards and is sure to be a hit at Beerfest.

 

 

 

 

 

Manchester Literature Festival: Sacred Hearts

Written by Alice Williamson on . Posted in Books.

It was with definite stammering and hesitation that I evasively explained to my ‘plus one’ we were going to a show – about? Ah. Clearly should have based my opinion on more than just ‘Nuns, Italy, and the sixteenth century’. They have live music I said, and actors, I think. I prayed in the bathroom. Let it be good, Oh god, let it be good.

It was more than good, it was superb. ‘Sacred Hearts’ tells the story of the convent of Santa Caterina, at its core sixteen year old Serafina, who pounds and cries against her cell doors as she is imprisoned in her new convent life. Yet this is not a solo piece – for constantly in the background of our main players are the women, and the life of the convent – and it is for this coming of despair, and condemnation, and the banal, and the divine that the show really deserved its encore.

Sarah Dunant, the writer herself, and Deborah Findlay acted beautifully as did the singers of Music Secreta. Niamh Cusak very intensely, perhaps slightly affectedly starred too. However, I venture that it was the group’s so wonderful singing, in the truly atmospheric Manchester Cathedral, that really made you feel, there was something sacred in the air.

Manchester Literature Festival: Crime in a Cold Climate

Written by James Sargent on . Posted in Books.

Opening proceedings at the second week of the festival was a highly alluring premise, not just on account of the fascinatingly depraved subject material, but also as an opportunity to gain insight into a sweeping craze of modern literature – an evening with three prolific authors of Nordic crime fiction. With unprecedented influence, now reaching into American cinema (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and television (The Killing), it’s no surprise that a record number of middle-aged crime enthusiasts and literature students escaped the Manchester downpour to pack out The Engine House.

Those who braved the blustery trip were rewarded with an honest, humourous and evocative examination of the genre, its stake in society and its fair share of controversy, with wonderful guidance from compere Barry Forshaw. Residing were two Norwegian authors; hotshot Thomas Enger, with his first book Burned published to critical acclaim, and veteran KO Dahl, with four of his grand catalogue now published in English, alongside Icelandic bestseller Yrsa Sigurdardottir whose work is translated in over thirty countries.

Contrary to expectation, the three aren’t indebted to the work of genre establishers such as Henning Mankell. Rather, they draw upon themselves to create striking characters; Enger states that his greatest fear is losing his children, and so for Burned’s protagonist fear becomes reality. Refreshingly, politics do not pervade their work; they seek to entertain and on occasion portray Nordic society, but feel no pressure to do so. Sigurdardottir is keen to reference the expectation of female writers to shy away from gratuity, a sexist sentiment that masks the trio’s desire to favour characterisation and the craft of a thrilling narrative. Despite further reservations in regards to the faltering economy and a potentially fickle international audience, it is bracing to see a genre flourish under passionate writers remaining true to themselves.

Live: The Blackout @ Academy 1

Written by James Birtles on . Posted in Music.

The Blackout
Academy 1
5 November
4 stars

For years, The Blackout have enjoyed underground success but 2011 has been a prominent year for them with the release of their fourth album, Hope, and supporting My Chemical Romance on their UK arena tour.

Support act, Canterbury, kick off tonight’s proceedings but their set leaves a lot to be desired. The music is just very boring and their stage presence is lacklustre, but a select few seem to enjoy themselves during the set.
Essex boys, We Are the Ocean, are a bit more enthusiastic with frontman and screamer Dan Brown jumping around like a kid with A.D.D. and screaming the line “How we doing Manchester?” more than he actually sings. The set is only short but draws on their EPs and two studio albums with a particular highlight being ‘Confessions’ which is predominantly sung by clean vocalist and guitarist Liam Cromby.

The Blackout start off with ‘This is Our Time’ and ‘Ambition is Critical’, taken from their newest release, Hope, followed by ‘Save Our Selves (The Warning)’ and ‘It’s High Tide Baby!’ where it is hard not to join in with the “Woahs” in the chorus. In between every second or third song there seems to be a joke from either of the frontmen Gavin Butler or Sean Smith, turning almost into a comedy roadshow which makes the entire set flow so well. Even without Youmeatsix’s Josh Franceschi to perform his usual vocals on ‘This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things’ the song is one of the best of The Blackout’s back catalogue. Older songs like ‘I’m a Riot? You’re a Fucking Riot!’ and ‘Spread Legs, Not Lies’ are still crowd favourites.

The Blackout’s underground days seem to have come to an end and with performances like this they are due to be one of the best British bands in years to come.

 

Live: Funeral for a Friend @ Academy 1

Written by James Birtles on . Posted in Music.

Funeral for A Friend
Academy 1
28th October
3 stars

This year, Welsh post-hardcore outfit Funeral for a Friend celebrated their ten year anniversary and the band doesn’t seem to be coming to a halt any time soon.

The Bunny The Bear, and Brisbane metallers, The Amity Affliction, kick off the night with a good set which make them names certainly to look out for in the future. Las Vegas rockers Escape the Fate are the main support act tonight. The setlist is good mix of classic and new such as ‘The Flood’ and ’10 Miles Wide’ which gets some of the crowd moving yet some still appear uninterested. While everything of their performance is tight, their music just seems out of a place at a Funeral for a Friend gig.

Funeral for a Friend’s setlist tonight caters towards new and old fans by successfully mixing the back catalogue of four old albums and their new release, Welcome Home Armageddon. Throughout the night, frontman Matt Davies-Kreye seems to suffer from severe vocal problems and by the end of the night his vocal duties have been kept up by his bandmates. Fan favourites ‘Juneau’ and ‘Roses for the Dead’ do not seem to suffer from the vocal dilemma but softer song ‘History’ seems to be lacking Davies-Kreye’s usual vocals.
The newer material seems to go down well with the crowd as its style of heavy riffs and drumming is reminiscent of 2003’s Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation or 2005’s Hours which are considered to be their best albums.

The only thing that was a problem tonight, unfortunately it was a big one, was the vocal problems and with it being a recurring problem since Funeral’s last gig in Manchester, while FFAF remain popular, the question is can their voices hold up to the strain.

Album: I Am the Avalanche – Avalanche United

Written by Frances Roach on . Posted in Music.

I Am The Avalanche
Avalanche United
I Surrender Records
4 stars

Six years after their last release, their debut self titled album back in 2005, the Brooklyn quintet I Am The Avalanche are back with a belter. Avalanche United sees a significant magnitude of progress from where they left off and is apparent from the get go with opening track ‘Holy Fuck’, evidencing their objectives in the lyrics ‘shut your mouth, and pay your rent, and make a record they’ll never forget’. No doubt, this album is rather promising in helping the band get back onto the pop punk radar.

Standout tracks consist of upbeat efforts ‘Is This Really Happening?’, ‘Brooklyn Dodgers’ and ‘You’ve Got Spiders’, the latter two they have been playing live for quite some time, blasting out the perfect pop punk formula for a chorus. ‘Amsterdam’ provides an insight to the memories created from the road and the eagerness to get back out to the places they’ve conquered during past tours.

Background gang vocals add to the imminent sense of unity within the band and the strong connection they have managed to maintain with their followers despite the lack of band activity within the past few years. A solid record throughout filled with punchy choruses and melodies whilst producing a good balance of perfectly raw vocals and energetic integrity. With a newly announced UK pre-Christmas tour taking place (the first time returning to England in 6 years), this record is certain to please the fans gained from previous releases and no doubtedly will be successful in gaining another swarm of highly impressed listeners.

 

Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes

Written by Andrew Campbell on . Posted in Theatre.

Five out of five stars

From this production is it easy to see why Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes is a popular choice for drama students. Tony Kushner’s ambitious 1993 play allows actors and directors to bring to the fore the nuance of the text’s many different strands. The cast of this student production at MMU’s Capitol Theatre have taken advantage of this and produced an engaging and intelligent piece of theatre.

Kushner has light-heartedly described his writing style as being like a lasagne “All the yummy nutritious ingredients you’ve thrown into it have almost-but-not-quite succeeded in overwhelming the design”. Although set in the 1980’s, Angels in America engages with concerns of the 1990’s. Kushner tries to make sense of the racial, sexual and class divisions that exist in America, “The melting pot where nothing melted”, and suggests that in the 90’s, with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the AIDS epidemic, it is essential that America comes to understand itself in a different way.

The dark-heart of the play is lawyer and staunch republican Roy Cohn, played here by Lucas Smith. Cohn, a repressed homosexual who discovered that he is dying of AIDS, symbolises the false-certainty and hypocrisy of the Reagan-era. Smith’s Cohn is smug and brash at the same time as still being immensely angry and more or less inhuman. The performance is not subtle but it provides much of the production’s energy and force. Harper, played here by Amy Cameron, the valium-addicted housewife is a depiction of quieter desperation. Cameron gives a strong performance, showing the character as being deeply frustrated but also having the capacity for optimism.

The staging is rapid and artificial, embracing the text’s Brechtian qualities and providing a more satisfying interpretation of the play than a non-theatrical adaptation, such as the big-budget HBO miniseries, will ever be able to.

While they were written and first-performed separately, it is a shame that this production does not bring together the two parts of Angels in America. Although the seven-hour running-time may have been a challenge in Capitol Theatre’s painfully uncomfortable seats, it would have been fantastic to see the same group of students sink their teeth into the other piece of Tony Kushner’s modern classic.

Angels in America – Part One: Millennium Approaches ran at the MMU Capitol Theatre between 12th-15th October. 

Live: Digitalism @ Club Academy

Written by Felicity Peel on . Posted in Music.

Digitalism
Club Academy
1st November
4 stars

Finally, Digitalism have returned! Four years after the German duo released their debut album, Idealism, Jens and Ismail return to Manchester with new material.

At sixteen I was an avid Digitalism fan and so, having never had the chance to see them live, I jumped at the chance to review this gig. In June of this year the electro-house, Hamburg rockers released their second album, I Love You, Dude. While not overly keen on this new material, I was excited to see how they would balance their illustrious classics with the new and unfamiliar.

They started their set in Club Academy as they meant to go on. Immediately engaging the audience, Jens was an extremely animated and captivating lead man. Their unique combination of daring distorted baselines, electro-house beats and synth pop worked like a dream. They also managed to get a good balance between the new and the old, moving seamlessly from their landmark euphoric tracks, such as ‘Zdarlight’, to their more recent releases and then back again.
Their mix of electro-house, rock and pop generally blends together flawlessly however, it can occasionally catch you off guard. At one point I found myself shifting from dancing earnestly to ‘Idealistic’, to suddenly standing awkwardly as they abruptly mixed in what I can only describe as some jarring, distorted guitars. On the whole though, one can’t fault Digitalism for their highly experimental and generally successful blend of genres.

Overall, Digitalism are fantastic to see live. Despite their brilliant, if occasionally awkward, mix of rock and electro-house and their slightly bland new material they delivered a show that left me with a huge smile on my face. The German friends certainly know how to offer a memorable and exciting set.

Digitalism – Pogo

Digitalism – Circles