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Month: November 2012

Joaquin Phoenix – the attention seeker

Joaquin Phoenix, star of the new independent film The Master, has recently found criticism and acclaim by stating that the Oscars are “Bullshit”. In the midst of awards season where many actors, directors and producers are looking to appeal to audiences for votes, Phoenix would rather disassociate himself from what he described as “The worst tasting carrot he’s ever tasted in his life.”

Is this his clever ploy to place himself in the centre of a voting frenzy after having missed out on two academy awards for past roles?

Beginning his acting career in Los Angeles at the age of 8, he followed the footsteps of his older brother, River, who had played in the adaptation of Stephen King’s novel Stand by Me (1986), crime drama Running on Empty (1988), and even had a cameo role as a young Indiana Jones in The last Crusade. Joaquin and River were both together on the night that River tragically died following a drug overdose in a Los Angeles club; he was 23.

In the maturity of his acting career, Joaquin demonstrated his dedication to the sincerity of his characters and personal beliefs while working on set. He embraced many bodily alterations for his roles such as losing or gaining weight and changing the colour of his complexion. Due to his strict vegan upbringing, Phoenix specifically requests that no animal products are used in his costumes and so in the 2000 film Gladiator, all leather was made out of synthetic materials to fulfil Phoenix’s request. He had also recorded an entire album and used his own vocals for his role as country music legend, Johnny Cash, in Walk the Line.

One of the biggest shocks of Phoenix’s career, however, was the announcement of his retirement in 2008, shortly after the release of Two Lovers. Phoenix had been on a promotional tour taking television interviews, the most notable of which was on the Late Show with David Letterman, which can still be seen on Youtube. Phoenix ambled out on stage, with a remarkable resemblance to Zach Galifianakis, and proceeded to proffer single word answers and stern looks in response to questions and playful banter. The interview appeared to be a comical play on stage, especially when Phoenix announced that his resignation from acting was to pursue a career in hip hop and rap music; the crowd burst into fits of laughter. Unfortunately, Phoenix was not amused and replied “What the fuck? What have you got the audience on, are you pumping nitrous gas in here or something?” Phoenix continued to be disinterested in his own career, claiming not to have seen the film he was there to promote, and sticking his chewing gum under Letterman’s desk.

Thankfully, Phoenix’s outrageous career move was a hoax to benefit a mock documentary he had been making with his brother-in-law, Casey Affleck. The Mockumentary, entitled I’m Still Here, was aimed to explore the relationship between celebrities, the media and spectators. Spending two years on filming, I’m Still Here features some incredible footage of Phoenix assaulting a heckler during a performance, as well as a large portion of his Letterman interview.

Joaquin, having returned to acting, is now touring to promote The Master, which was released in cinemas on the 2nd of November, and will be followed by the release of his next film, Nightingale, in 2013.

Tommy Fish issues new statement on societies funding scandal

Tommy Fish, Activities Officer for the Students’ Union, has issued a new statement regarding the societies funding scandal. He previously issued a short statement apologising for e-mailing societies telling them they ‘needed’ to attend Demo2012 if they wanted more funding. The e-mail gained national coverage, with stories emerging in other student newspapers and the Daily Mail. You can see The Mancunion’s story here: https://mancunion.com/2012/11/19/backlash-union-rewards-societies-supporting-demo2012/

Tommy Fish’s new statement in full:

First and foremost, this story should never have got beyond The Mancunion. I wrote a stupid email, I backtracked, corrected it, and apologised unreservedly. End of story. There was no ‘bribery’ as the Daily Mail put it. It’s not as if I was standing there with a bag of cash for societies that took part in the Demo. Secondly, the Mail’s references to ‘taxpayer’s money’ are completely misinformed. Do your research before you write that nonsense.

I fully take the blame for this and the rest of the Union and the Exec should be left alone. If anyone has something to say, say it to me. For that reason I emailed the writer in question to say that he was remarkably light on me, and too harsh on my peers.

I apologise once more if it seemed like I was trying to impose my political views on others. It is for that reason I immediately released the statement essentially telling societies to ignore my email. I am very proud to be an elected officer here, and FROM the start I have always said that my door is open for societies to come in and make suggestions on how things should run. Many have been doing so and the outcome has always been friendly and productive. Changes are being made so now is the time to get your views across, so as ever, pay me a visit or send me an email with opinions. I want societies to dictate how they are run, rather than have a system imposed upon them.

In terms of the Demo itself, politically what I did was wrong, but from a moral viewpoint I’m afraid I cannot back down and let the media give me a kicking for something I wholeheartedly believe in. Young people in this country are facing a bleak future and I’m not just talking about students, I mean school kids and unemployed 15-25 year olds (which currently sit at 1 in 5 out of us). Tuition fees have tripled, leading to a fall in the number of students, which in turn has led to the death of Fallowfield.  This used to be the most vibrant student town in the country, and it is now a pathetic shadow of its former self. EMA is no more, housing conditions are getting worse: rents are rocketing, house ownership taken for granted by our parents seems a pipe dream for this generation, child poverty is on the rise, all the while pay and bonuses for top Executives went up by 27% last year.

Am I concerned about this? Do I think that students should protest?  Do I think University of Manchester students should protest? Yes! I think they owe it to themselves and to their generation to let politicians and fat cats know what they think. What else should they do? Sit back, watch the X-Factor and celebrate the rise in poverty and inequality? Students have always protested against social injustice and wars.  They are the conscience of society.

A DEMO DIVIDED

NUS President Liam Burns was booed and pelted with eggs and fruit as #Demo2012 was marred by in-fighting and disillusionment.

Burns – one of a number of speakers who took to the stage in Kennington Park – was rushed off by security as members of the crowd pushed their way on to the stage and encouraged protesters to head back to Parliament.

Campaigns and Citizenship Officer at the University of Manchester Students’ Union, Khalil Secker condemned those who took to the stage. “It’s so divisive to our movement,”he said. “I think their actions do have a habit of putting people off left wing politics or student politics in general and that is destructive.”

The President himself laughed off the incident, joking on Twitter his “egg dodging is pretty fierce.”

Many protesters were angered at the route the NUS leadership decided to take for the demo and showed their frustration on the march. With “NUS shame on you, where the fuck have you brought us to,” proving to be a popular chant.

In a move challenging the authority of the NUS alternative student protest organisation National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts have announced a march on December 5 and called for continued action.

NCAFC organiser Michael Chessum said in a press release, also printed in The Guardian, “Whatever the turnout [on November 21], a single demonstration will not be enough to challenge the government’s agenda.

“We need to make the demo the start of an on going campaign.

“That is why we are supporting the call for a national day of action involving students and workers at schools, colleges and universities across the country on 5 December.”

The NCAFC is backed by several high profile figures within the student movement, including NUS higher education committee member Luke Durigan, LSE Students’ Union general secretary Alex Peters-Day and Sara Moon, Sheffield University’s Students’ Union Development Officer.

University of Leeds student David Lewsey said: “I think it’s a fucking shambles. They marched us away from the centre of London, away from anywhere of any political significance.

“We’re standing in the rain in the middle of nowhere.”

Approximately 3-4,000 people turned up, from as far away as Bristol, Leeds and Edinburgh, including around 150 from Manchester universities. The NUS originally predicted 10,000 protesters would attend.

Marching under the banner “Educate, Employ, Empower,” the demonstration, supposedly against rising fees and education cuts, followed a heavily criticised route through south London and culminated with a rally in Kennington Park, near Surrey County Cricket Club’s ground, The Oval.

Some students felt a radical minority spoilt the demonstration.

“I feel today has been completely undermined by a bunch of anarchists kicking Liam Burns off the stage,” said University of York student Patrick Evans. “Now all today will be remembered for is the day the student movement turned in on itself rather than as the day we took a stand against the government.

“I just don’t understand what good they thought they were doing.

“I think that was worse than Millbank in terms of making students look bad, it made us look like divided idiots, which frankly, we were.”

Speaking to The Mancunion, NUS Black Students’ Officer Aaron Kiely said, “There are no plans for more demonstrations at the moment, but I don’t think one every two years is enough.”

The march on Wednesday started at Temple tube station in central London and briefly passed by Westminster, where a small group of protesters locked arms and sat down, trying to prevent people crossing south of the River Thames. Protest leaders quickly told marchers to ignore the group and continue as planned.

Sam Rae, from University of Sheffield, did not agree with clogging up the bridge, “If you stand outside Parliament, it’s a very confrontational act as this symbol of the politicians who you’re angry at are right in front of you.

“I’m a bit upset but I suppose this was always going to hap¬pen.”

Others felt the final location of the rally was a poor choice.

Sebastian Chowdhury, Further Education representative for the NUS from Manchester College said: “Given the weather conditions today, maybe in hindsight Parliament would have been a better choice.”

Owen Holland, a PhD student from the University of Cambridge, said, “Whilst it’s good that the NUS leadership organised and called for this demo they didn’t need to take us to a park in Kennington.”

Compared to the violent student protests two years ago, the demonstration was peaceful, with only a few scuffles with police near Westminster when protesters tried to break out of the designated area.

Police said they acted here because it was a breach of the Section 12 agreement that defined the route and area the protest could legally occupy.

The historical significance of Kennington Park, the site of a major protest in the nineteenth century, appeared lost on many students.
The protest failed to garner major national media cover¬age.

The University of Manchester, the largest student body in the country, originally booked eight coaches to take students to the protest in London, but failed to sell enough tickets and only took three coaches, including some Manchester Metropolitan students.

Nick Pringle, General Secretary at University of Manchester Students’ Union described the demonstration as a success, adding, “The really important thing is that we don’t lose momentum and we take this back on to our campuses.”

Semester Abroad: Australia

What made you want to study over the other side of the world?

I have always loved to travel and I thought that studying abroad would be a great experience to see other parts of the world – whilst still having the support of the university and loans etc.  Also, in my course (Social Anthropology and Linguistics) I have learnt a lot about Indigenous populations so it was amazing to study in a place that is so rich with aboriginal history.

 Did you find university life different out there?

The classes and tutorials seemed a lot more personal. There were about 10-15 people in tutorials and I had the same tutor for both Anthropology classes so I got to know her well.  In one of my classes we had the ‘rule’ that whichever pair was presenting in the tutorial also had to provide snacks for the class-which was great! I found there were a lot more smaller assignments so that I constantly had work to do and hand it in, but I actually preferred that as it meant that there wasn’t the panic of 100% essays and exams at the end of the term.

 How difficult was it to adapt to their culture?

It wasn’t too hard adapting to the culture; it was basically like Manchester in the summer time with everyone studying/sunbathing on the university campus. I have also travelled quite a lot since I was young so it wasn’t such a culture shock compared to other places.  Everyone was very friendly – particularity when they heard the British accent!

 What was the nightlife like?

The nightlife was quite different to the UK, it made me realize how much we go out and drink!  There were some good big clubs in the city but most had cover charges. My favorite was one called Cloudland that had a big waterfall inside and felt like you were in a jungle. There was a salsa night ever Thursday which was very fun and something I wouldn’t usually go to back home!  Generally though I tended to stick to the more casual and cheap pub nights closer to the university, one place in particular – the ‘RE’ had live bands and $2 drinks on a Wednesday and was always packed with students.

What was the highlight of your semester abroad?

I think just generally having the experience of studying in a different country, and obviously the sunshine was amazing; we had a pool at our house – not something you are going to find in Fallowfield!  Also I got to meet so many different people and from all different places, for example I lived with an American, a South African and an Australian.

 Any regrets?

Thankfully no regrets!  I know it sounds corny but it really was so amazing.

Online dating: part 2

This week I have found out that the perils of online dating are not only stranger danger and graphic messages. Oh no. The truth is that while at university, nobody is safe from ‘Fraping.’ It turns out that the online dating site is just another on which your flat mates can publically humiliate you. The embarrassment doesn’t stop there either. The emails have continued and their arrivals have been far from discreet. Most of my fellow Geographers now know that I am in search of virtual love, put it that way.

We have all committed a ‘Frape’ and we have all fallen victim to one too. Unattended laptops and unlocked rooms prove to be way too tempting not to tamper with. People, posing as you, will change your gender to ‘male’ and declare your undying and forbidden love for your friend’s 60 year old dad – tagging him and everything. The world of online romance is no exception. Thanks to others, I have already been blocked twice and appear to be engaged in a long conversation with a twenty five year old woman, who is a few sandwiches short of a picnic basket and hard to get away from. Even when I returned to my room and broke the news that I was into men and men only, she did not give up. Worse still, a guy from Salford who is actually pretty cute, is now under the impression that I am a young offender fresh out of the institution, looking for love in the form of him. Poor guy.

Now, there is also the small issue of the aforementioned, SERIOUSLY EMBARRASSING emails. Admittedly, I could have turned them off, but what I didn’t realise is that I would receive a minimum of twenty a day. I did not expect to be informed every single time someone looked at my profile. I pulled out my phone in a lecture, only for multiple emails to pop up very loudly and in clear sight of the row behind me. If you were on that row, please retract all judgments. Pretty, pretty please. If you were on the 142 bus and witnessed this too, I implore you to do the same.

The conclusion to week two? Sorry readers, I’m afraid that I have yet to secure a date. If my flat mates have anything to do with it, I won’t even be able to get one. Anyway, the truth is, I’m still too ashamed of my online dater status to actually go on a real, face to face date with any of the ‘admirers’ who have ‘hearted’ me. Perhaps I should start turning my phone on ‘silent’… or perhaps I should just stick to eye contact as opposed to winking emoticons and flirty first conversations at the bar, as opposed to on my Mac.  We’ll see…

Top 5: Iconic fashion films

1) Clueless – 1995

The 1995 hit sensation Clueless embodies everything we love about the ’90s. From miniskirts to knee high socks, Cher and Dionne quickly became fashion icons for teenage girls everywhere. Seeing the current return of ’90s trends it we will remember to pay homage to the film that started it all.

Photo: ofwoodsandwords.com

2) Breakfast at Tiffany’s – 1961

Nobody demonstrates the significance of the LBD better than Holly Golightly in the 1961 classic Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Designed by Hubert de Givenchy, the beautifully effective simple cuts and lines of Hepburn’s dresses are reinvented in every scene through the use of tiaras and chunky pearl necklaces. The film is a masterclass on the importance of accessories.

Photo: allmoviephoto.com

3) Factory Girl – 2006

Epitomising signature styles of the 1960s, Edie Sedgwick, may only have had ’15 minutes of fame’ but in the words of Dior’s Galliano ‘her style and image influenced a whole generation.’ Her pixie cut introduced us to the world of androgyny in a decade of liberation of women.

Photo: fact.co.uk

4) The Artist – 2011

No words are needed to compliment the dazzling designs of the 1920s costumes in this silent film. Costume designer Mark Bridges cleverly plays with the black-and-white motif showing us that cut can be more important than colour. The film leaves us pining to be able to pull off the cloche hat as perfectly as Bérénice Bejolt.

Photo: themoviebinge.com

5) The Devil Wears Prada – 2006

The clue is in the title, this film lets us into the cut-throat world of the fashion industry – and makes us long for it even more! With an outrageous amount of 1 million dollars spent on costumes alone, the film exhibits how the right clothes can transform you from a frump to a fashionista.

Must See This Week In Theatre: 3rd December-10th December

The Lion King

 

The musical that surely needs no introduction, The Lion King finally comes to Manchester after its 13th year at the Lyseum Theatre, London. The production is said to be one of the most visually stunning of our time, so get down to the Palace and join the Circle of Life!

 

Runs until March 13th 2012 at the Palace Theatre

Tickets £22.50-£75

 

 

Arabian Nights

The Library Theatre Company’s Christmas show this year is the infamous tale of Arabian Nights. The classic story of a thousand and one stories is staged in the round and promises to be visually stunning!

 Runs from 30th November until 12th January 2013 at the Lowry Theatre

Tickets £14.50-£20

 

 

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas

A musical based on the Bing Crosby film classic, following the success of the record-breaking, sell-out run of 2009. A spectacle that’ll warm any Scrooge-like heart, White Christmas promises to deliver ‘lots of laughter and some of the greatest songs ever written’.

 Runs from the 30th November to 5th December

Tickets £24-£45

 

 

Peter Pan

The Bolton Octagon’s family festive show this year is the timeless classic we all know and love: Peter Pan. With a talented cast of actor-musicians playing originally composed music, the show is sure to bring out the child in all of us!

 Runs until 12th January 2013 at the Bolton Octagon

Tickets £9.50-£22

AlunaGeorge

21st November 2012, Deaf Institute

8/10

I was unsure of what to expect upon arriving at the Deaf Institute to see AlunaGeorge perform the Manchester leg of their first tour. The warm-up by a DJ named S-Type – who I would seriously recommend – set the tone for the sounds on display for the evening: electronic-pop infused R&B.

Visually, Aluna Francis and George Reid tick all the boxes and it’s easy to see why their videos have a slightly fashion-y edge. As the rather stunning female vocalist, Aluna naturally took centre stage, accompanied by her mile-long legs and grinding dance moves, while George stood at his decks to her right, pulling some pretty slick moves himself and providing the shimmering beats beneath the sweetly squeaky vocals.

Entertaining a crowd of already die-hard fans (including one guy who thought he was Aluna) meant that there were whoops of glee at the start of every song, but the duo still impressed those of us who didn’t know their music inside out. Their famous track ‘You Know You Like It’ was met with expected joy, while the infectiously catchy hook of ‘Your Drums, Your Love’ was sung out from the crowd louder than it was on stage. They entertained us with an unexpected version of Montell Jordan’s ‘This is How We Do It’, which forced those at the back who weren’t already dancing to get on their feet, while my absolute favourite XX-esque ‘Watching Over You’ added a more melancholic edge to an otherwise high-energy set.

AlunaGeorge are, if predictions are correct, set to be one of the best emerging talents of 2012, and judging by this gig it’s not hard to see why their fun, accessible and most importantly unpretentious take on electro-pop would be rejected by a larger audience. The only selfishly indulgent downside to this inevitable popularity is the ticket prices for their next live show will be much more that the seven quid I paid in this instance.

 

 

The Vaccines

21st November 2012, Apollo

9/10

You know you’re gonna have a great night when you’re surrounded by hundreds of sweaty people, guys shouting “let’s go fucking mental” and Mancunians singing “oh Manchester is wonderful”, before the concert has even started. And yes, they did go fucking mental, and yes, it was a great night.

But it was a long wait before the Vaccines actually came on stage, on this 21st of November at the Apollo. No less than three supporting bands to keep us waiting. First, a synth and guitar duo called Pale. Quite nice. Then a girls grunge and bluesy duo, on drums and guitar, called Deep Valley. Pretty uninteresting. Then DIIV’s very hectic set. You know the concert won’t be boring when you already have to fight for your life during the supporting act. I’m not sure if people really loved the band or were just getting mega excited as the time for the Vaccines concert was getting closer. In any case, DIIV, and their dark/rock/shoegaze/highly instrumental music, probably deserved such enthusiasm.

So by the time the Vaccines finally arrived on stage, at 9:45, the audience was fully warmed up. They played half songs from their new album Come of Age and half songs from their first one. You might think both albums are totally unoriginal but you could hardly say they’re crap.  At least they sure can make people jump. ‘Wetsuit’ was the biggest success. People didn’t seem too sure whether to wave, jump, sing or shout so they just ended up doing all of these things at once. Mosh pits were the rule for all the other songs. But fortunately for the people on the seats, the Vaccines’s also the kind of band that you can enjoy quietly. The pit was full of teenagers wearing Vaccines t-shirts. “Wow there’s a lot of people” said the singer. It was indeed really packed. Manchester’s Apollo may be pretty ugly but it is the perfect size for this kind of band. Because you might not exactly think so when you listen to their sad introspective songs but these guys are stadium material. And, no matter how loud Justin Young sings “I’m no teenage icon”, he just keeps proving he is one.

Liars

21st October 2012, Sound Control

7/10

A Liars gig is not something you can invite all of your friends to. This band is much too weird. A mix of rock, dance, punk and madness. Their show at Sound Control, in the beautiful, graffiti-adorned New Wakefield Street, left no doubt about that.

They chose a very weird support band, for a start. The guy is called The Haxan Cloak. I guess the word coming closest to describing his music would be “noise”. A dark creepy video is playing on the side of the stage, electronic sounds fill the space, most people are pretty motionless. This whole gig looks like a contemporary art exhibition. Or some kind of avant-garde club night for drug dealers. At least it’s original. You’re dead exhausted by the end of it. Totally prepared for Liars’ own kind of weirdness.

You can’t totally hate Liars. The singer’s crazy and his hair’s a mess. It makes people enthusiastic. Not that there were many people that night though.  The first songs were all electronic. Then they got the drums in. Later they played some more guitar-based songs, which were actually really good. Their encore songs, ‘The Other Side of Mt Heart Attack’ and ‘Broken Witch’, were particularly good too. But on the whole, it was far from a rock concert. It wasn’t about beautiful vocals either. Most of the time, the singer Angus Andrew sounds like he doesn’t know shit about singing. That’s not really what they’re looking for. He’s much cooler when he yells or dances around in a drunken way. When a more downbeat kind of song kicks off and you realize that he can actually sing, it’s quite a nice revelation though. Anyway their music is far from conventional beauty. It’s experimental, it’s noisy, it’s varied, it’s fun.

First Aid Kit

22nd November 2012, HMV Ritz

8/10

The lovely Söderberg sisters, Johanna and Klara, played HMV Ritz as part of their biggest sell-out tour to date. Formed in 2007, First Aid Kit came into the limelight off the back off their latest album The Lion’s Roar. First Aid Kit’s music is centered around their impressive vocal talent and reflects what they feel to be the timeless and truthful qualities of uncommercialised folk music.

Through jokes and a conversational style, the Swedish duo instantly formed a connection with the audience. ‘Hard Believer’ hits hard their atheistic tendencies, dedicated to Richard Dawkins: “I see you’ve got your bible your delusion imagery”. The sisters also dedicated ‘Our Own Pretty Ways’ from their first album to feminist punk band Pussy Riot as a mark of solidarity, which several members of the crowd seemed to appreciate as they continued to shout ‘Pussy Riot!’ throughout the gig. The band then announced: “we’re going to abandon modern technology” for their song ‘Ghost Town’. The unplugged version boasted their beautiful harmonies, creating an enchanting and dreamy, almost spiritual, aura that encompassed the whole venue. However, the mood of ‘I Met Up With the King’ completely contrasted.

The energetic and lively punk thrashings of the band led them to vigorous head banging, and the song ended with a snippet from The White Stripes ‘Seven Nation Army’ as a dedication to Jack White, who got the band noticed. ‘Emmylou’ was the most energetic, crowd-pleasing song in the set, and the majority of the room was singing along. ‘Emmylou’, a song about singing, lists the bands musical influences, which are more explicitly shown in their covers of Fever Ray’s ‘When I Grow Up’ and Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘America’. Despite minor technical fault with the keyboard, the gig was highly successful and there felt almost a sense of euphoria in the air afterwards. Their pure, unadulterated music was a delight to witness.

Imagine Dragons

16th November 2012, Ruby Lounge

8/10

One could be mistaken for believing that like the dragon, Imagine Dragons possess magical qualities too. In less than a year since the release of their EP, Continued Silence, they have enjoyed peek-time slots on American chat shows and received nominations from MTV and Billboard alike. Or perhaps they are the latest band to come off the Vegas’ musical conveyer belt, such as their desert-born contemporaries, The Killers. Away from the glitz and glamour of American television, Imagine Dragons find themselves in a hideaway bar on the edge of Manchester’s Northern Quarter, a far cry from the Jay Leno show. What would possess a band to seek out Manchester’s basement dives as a location to stage a gig? The answer is simple; this was the conclusion of their maiden European tour to promote their debut album, Night Visions.

Imagine Dragons have cited influences ranging from polar-opposites such as hip-hop and folk to an affinity for peculiar instrumental synth. But the most telling influence resonated behind every note; every bang of a drum, the onstage demeanour of the frontman, and that was stadium rock.

As the band appeared from behind the velvet curtain that separated the stage, the assembled crowd were already in good spirits and good spirits were likewise being consumed. A fellow on his friends shoulder took the opportunity to ‘moon’ the audience behind him. The band introduced themselves with the tried and tested crowd pleaser, It’s time. Every song is accompanied with lively hooks, punishing drumming and delivered with echoed vocals that created the most grandiose display the Ruby Lounge may have ever encountered. As the band got into their stride, lead singer Dan Reynolds, took the opportunity to stray away from his own personal free standing drum and let his boyish vigour take control as he began fist-pumping and pogoing in reaction to the instantly recognisable Radioactive. The underlying techno beat gave the audience all the more reason to let loose and imitate the frontman in pogoing and arm waving. In reaction Reynolds perched himself on the crowd barrier, looming over the crowd with his back arched and head twisted as held himself up using the ceiling for the following song Hear me.

The band paused, allowing Reynolds to compliment the crowd that evening, praising the city and sentimentally conceding that playing there that night made him ‘‘feel closer to home’’. Before returning to his singing, he tested the crowd’s football allegiances asking them who they support before asking “What do you guys do on a Friday night? I play FIFA’’, that was met with a series of hollers from the crowd. The band concluded the evening with the slow tempo, crowd swaying groovy rhythm of Demons. Imagine Dragons had the audience under their spell throughout the night and it certainly hadn’t diminished by the time they left the stage, as there was an eruption of ‘‘we want more! we want more!’’ and the thing is, we did.

Alabama Shakes

12th November 2012,  Academy 1

8/10

Instantly noticing the incredibly mixed demographic, I was reminded of how Alabama Shakes’ music successfully combines the blues styles of 50s and 60s America with the driving rock styles of the more present day. Regardless of the audience’s diversity, however, when the band made their way on stage, the room united with torrents of cheers and expectation.

A non-album track opened, coming as a slight surprise, but when they launched into the slide guitar intro of ‘Hang Loose’, the audience soon erupted into rhythmic sways and smiles of recognition, filling the room with a laid back enjoyment and shared delight for this head-bobbing music, which was sustained throughout the set. The single ‘Hold On’ then followed which elicited more cheers and dancing from the captivated crowd.

However, as the set went on, more upbeat, vocal-driven album tracks such as ‘I Found You’ and ‘Be Mine’ were interspersed with some unfamiliar songs that took on a more rock ‘n’ roll feel. These showed off the shredding guitar solos of their captivating front woman, Brittany, driving both the charismatic and infectiously passionate lead singer, and consequently the crowd, into a frenzy, making the room buzz with atmosphere. In between these high-octane tunes sat a few poignant laments, such as ‘Boys & Girls’, ‘Heartbreaker’ and ‘You Ain’t Alone’, intoxicating the audience with the delicate, vulnerable passion of Brittany’s rough and raw voice that is heard less in the punchy and vivacious, attitude-flaunting tracks.

When their inevitable encore started with the drummer setting his cymbals alight, the pulsing drums and cool guitar lines of ‘I Ain’t The Same’ drove the crowd into their familiar hoots and cheers, with the evening ending with a fast paced rock ‘n’ roll number, ‘Heat Lightnin’’, leaving everyone in an afterglow of nostalgic splendour.

Ladyhawke

13th November 2012, Academy 2

6/10

New Zealand born Ladyhawke was welcomed onto stage with a roar of cheers from her dedicated fan base whilst her awkward but cool demeanour earned a sense of endearment from the less familiar members of the audience. The set opener, ‘Back of the Van’, a tune from her debut album Ladyhawke, instantly expressed her obvious 80s influences, with the guitar and synth sounds dominating the ear. She continued to perform plenty from her debut album as well as tracks from her recent release, Anxiety. Older tracks like ‘Professional Suicide’, ‘Magic’, ‘Dusk ‘til Dawn’ and ‘Better Than Sunday’ were broken up with some newer repertoire such the singles ‘Blue Eyes’ and ‘Sunday Drive’, however to the untrained ear, the general gist of every song was similar almost to the extent of confusion. Nevertheless, it cannot be taken away from her that her set was exciting, with the soaring synths, accessible melodies and guitar riffs and distorted bass lines being delivered with a cool confidence.

The demographic also showed her 80s influences off, with the younger generations crowded at the front experiencing this electronic rock music for the first time, whilst the teenagers of the 80s were gathered towards the back appreciating the nostalgia of it and the reflection on artists like Cyndi Lauper, Duran Duran and later bands like Nirvana. ‘Paris is Burning’ finished off the set, of which the punchy guitar riffs and rhythms transformed the crowd into a sea of bobbing bodies. The encore started with a cover of Jefferson Airplane’s ‘White Rabbit’, which, admittedly, was lost on the majority of the younger clientele, but her inevitable encore ender, ‘My Delirium’, was received with cheers of recognition and appreciation. So, although Ladyhawke can very much be described as a one trick pony, her live show was energetic and enjoyable.

Jake Bugg & Findlay

17th November 2012, Club Academy

Findlay: 4/10

Jake Bugg: 8/10

It’s a brave way to begin. In the basement grunge of Club Academy, low-ceilinged and close-walled, lead singer Natalie Findlay opens with a fiery a capella, her voice curling out like smoke from a cigarette. Yet, stood redundantly around her, the band looks bored. Though they are made to look plain by the grit-glitter of her performance, their blank faces still defuse the song’s power.

Findlay’s first single on release, growling rock song ‘Your Sister’, follows: the band finally ignites and properly conducts Natalie’s raging voice. The microphone, however, does not: her primal sound is shot full of silences throughout the last part of the song. Despite persistent sound jitters during two further songs, needing to switch the mic twice and, at one point, having to physically hold the equipment together, Natalie’s performance never falters. With dark hair wild about her face, mouth defined in red, Natalie finally concedes that “if this doesn’t work I’m going to burn the fucking place down” – just as the glitch is fixed.

The set thrashes on, beautifully managed precision-crashes from Findlay’s leopard-shirted drummer outshining the confident accompaniment of the bassist and baby-faced, Beiber-quiffed electric guitarist. Natalie hurls her noise from the base of her throat and, though she slows for one blue-lit, softer song, she begins to sound like an instrument breaking with its own music. Her voice croaks when she speaks, a possible explanation for why none of the songs are introduced. Considering that, save for a couple of exceptions, there is an astounding absence of Findlay tracks available anywhere online, this omission seems perverse, almost an attempt to repel potential fans. Though courageous, this is music lacking proper projection and outlet: both as a singer and brand, Natalie Findlay needs a better vehicle for her voice.

Jake Bugg’s music has been loaded with enough likenesses to bury him six feet deep. As he walks unassumingly onto the Club Academy stage, you wonder if his teenage frame can take it. He has a hangdog mouth, dozy eyes and the kind of hair that looks like it’s been blow-dried backwards. As both his openers, ‘Kentucky’ and ‘Love Me The Way You Do’, are retro echoes, it becomes hard not to start questioning how progressive this current flashback actually is for guitar music. The audience is dotted with relatively few fresh-faced undergrads, recognizable by carefully high-styled hair and some admirable but unconvinced attempts at Movember. The high average age of the crowd makes me suspicious that Bugg is simply fuelling a maudlin remorse for the sounds of yester-year.

So it is a relief that the twangy ‘Trouble Town’ which follows offers innovative aid: in aged and nasal tones, Bugg sings ‘Stuck in speed bump city / Where the only thing that’s pretty / Is the thought of getting out’, putting his reminiscent sound firmly into a modern context. This is a tricky line to tread: the self-conscious worldliness of ‘Seen It All’ and lyrics such as ‘I’m an old dog but I’ve learned some new tricks yeah’ from ‘Two Fingers’ sits a little uneasy on such a scrawny form. However, the tales Bugg tells in his lyrics go beyond the teller; the audience knows all the words. They lose themselves to the jumping chords of ‘Lightning Bolt’, chanting out above the sound on stage and breaking into sea-surging, crowd-surfing momentum. Wary of being submerged, Bugg chooses the more gently rousing rural pride of ‘Country Song’ for his encore, confirming his place as a new dog using some very old tricks.

Ben Howard

12th November 2012, Apollo

7/10

Fresh from his recent appearance at the Mercury Music Prize ceremony, a sold out Manchester Apollo opened its doors and welcomed Mr. Ben Howard and his kingdom of fans, in what proved to be a real indication of how far the singer-songwriter has come in just under 12 months. After what he describes as ‘one of the best shows of the last tour’ at the Manchester Ritz in February this year, his admission of nerves this time round, was no surprise as there was inevitably a strong sense of expectation to see whether a once rising star in the music industry, had really become an established artist in the space of 12 months.

Taking to the dark Apollo stage in equally dark clothing and equipment, Ben Howard and his crew were greeted by thunderous applause and a deafening choir of high pitched screaming. So far so good one could say. His dark silhouette cast a lonely figure as anticipation built in and around the gloomy Apollo, but then without introduction, Howard stormed into the opening three songs, displaying the prowess of an artist way ahead of the game, playing like an experienced veteran who failed to be overwhelmed by the enormity of the crowd.

Then it wasn’t before long until he totally set the place alight, taking centre stage on a now sun-kissed stage, standing in-front of the beaming sun which has become ever so synonymous with his successful debut album ‘Every Kingdom’. His unique combination of both folk and rock has aided his success and gained him the wide fan base which could certainly be seen, a crowd mixing a much younger hipster following with an evidently older and appreciative generation of music fan. And in a world where success as a solo artist is measured against the likes of Justin Bieber, Ben Howard is a much needed breath of fresh air in a very isolated industry.

Although new material was met with open arms by the crowd, his ability to repeatedly interchange between much faster, heavier material to much slower meaningful tracks truly showcased that he can do much more than win the hearts of teenage girls with a series of love songs. Popular tracks ‘Diamonds’ and ‘Under The Same Sun’, helped start to get heads nodding and feet tapping around the room whilst fans favourites ‘Only Love’ and ‘Keep Your Head Up’proved to reaffirm any doubt that Ben Howard has built on and created a loyal kingdom of fans, stood mesmerised by his every lyric throughout the duration of the performance. The highlight and biggest cheer of the night however must have been for ‘The Wolves’, as his 80 minute set was met with a standing ovation from the 3000 sell out crowd. All in all, a truly magnificent performance by an artist that speaks so avidly about Manchester and its musical heritage. With further performances like that, he will soon be up there with the greats he admires so much.

 

Noisettes

14th November 2012, HMV Ritz

9/10

Noisettes have a strange history, jumping into some people’s consciousness with their punky first record, What’s the Time, Mr Wolf? back in 2007.  But then they went pop and ‘Don’t Upset the Rhythm’ was picked up for a car advert and they exploded, with their second LP Wild Young Hearts peaking at number 2 in the charts.  Their new record Contact debuted at 30, which would inevitably have been a disappointment to the band who also replaced their drummer and founding member, Jamie, Morrison, in between the two releases. However, they didn’t let it show in their performance, playing every song with seemingly endless energy and enthusiasm.

Singer Shingai Shoniwa took to the stage in a very small red and gold playsuit with a wire hoop skirt round her, launching straight into ‘I Want U Back’. The songs from Contact were received well but that was nothing compared to the roars that accompanied the beginnings of the big singles from their second record.  ‘Don’t Upset The Rhythm’ was an unsurprising high point with the crowd singing along with every word and the opening bars ‘Never Forget You’ prompted people to start singing along before Shingai herself.

The most wonderful aspect of the evening was the fact that they put on such a show.  There were costume changes, covers, and Shoniwa even ended up walking along the edge of the sound desk for the first song of the encore, ‘Atticus’, a quieter moment before ‘Wild Young Hearts’ sent the crowd wild again.  Finding herself with some extra time she called the wonderful support acts, Marques Toliver and Josephine, onto the stage for an amazing cover of Earth Wind and Fire’s ‘Fantasy’.  Noisettes proved themselves to be a sensational live act at this show and I only hope their next record will allow them to be more than a one-album-wonder.

Gotye

15th November 2012, Apollo

9/10

The video for Gotye’s number one selling single, ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’, has been viewed over 300 million times on YouTube. Only a cretin would ignore such concentrated visual popularity: as Gotye’s show unfolds, it’s rapidly apparent that he’s not missed a trick. An enormous bank of screens projects falling plumes of colour as a backdrop to ‘The Only Way’ from Like Drawing Blood, released in 2006. Gotye himself is distracting, his body tightly packed into slate-grey shirt. He thwacks raised synth pads whilst pulsing out vocals, before taking off around the stage to play drums and a tableau of other instruments: an organ flex, omnichord and metallophones.

On his recordings, Gotye’s voice takes on a laborious and distant echo: live, and brought to life with an intense visual accompaniment, his sound is inescapably powerful. Echoing the genre-collage of Gotye’s music, the video changes for each song, styles including stop motion paper animations, anime and fast-forwarded filming. Comic-book graphics in chunked black lines are interspersed with CAT scan flashes as complement to the rock chords of ‘Easy Way Out’, first of the songs played from Gotye’s latest album Making Mirrors. ‘State of the Art’ twists together voice distortion with a reggae beat, the animation of a psychotic computerized device expanding upon the self-reflexive lyrics.

The Apollo audience is even made part of the project: Gotye demands ‘Manchester in three part harmony’ for ‘Save Me’, during which two animated body derivations find each other and make a whole on the screen. By contrast, the monotonous and unfocused visuals for ‘Night Drive’ compound the song’s sentimentality, underlining how influential presentation is in translating Gotye’s work. The show offers an eclectic compilation of sound and effect: as an artist, Gotye is best watched as well as listened to.

Fucked Up

14th November 2012, Deaf Institute

8/10

The Deaf Institute has a death wish. Whoever booked Fucked Up here has either never seen the Canadian punks – who once played a 12 hour set – in a live environment, or they’re willing to stick their neck out and accept whatever damage, human or otherwise, comes their way.

Whether it’s by design or by accident, Fucked Up take an awful long time to take to the stage, but when they do, the venue descends into near wanton chaos, but in the greatest way imaginable. Opening with a couple of songs from last year’s excellent, nuanced David Comes to Life, it takes only the second track before rotund singer Damian Abraham is physically pulled into the crowd by the baying yet loving mob, and Abraham is all too willing to reciprocate, climbing across the bar, making his way into the seated area. The squares weren’t getting away so easily.  Despite his intimidating broken glass howl, there’s something infectious about the lilt in his eyes as he hugs fans or attempts to scale the balcony, an incident which could have gone very awry were it not for the faithful willing to catch him.

Musically the band is also a treat. Their Poison Idea meets Broken Social Scene racket is uncompromising but has an almost graceful quality to it; careful melodies peek through the noise. ‘Black Albino Bones’, one of their finest songs, gets a delightful airing, with guitarist Ben Cook swirling dreamy vocals into the mix as Abraham meets his adoring public. Set closer ‘Son the Father’ is what really detonates the building with a coruscating energy, truly making the bouncers sweat. The band returns for a one two punk punch of ‘Police’ and ‘Generation’, bodies flinging themselves everywhere, well and truly, the venue devastated, and the crowd sated.

The Changing Face of Fashion

Celebrity collaborations within the fashion industry have become increasingly prominent. The last decade in particular has seen a significant shift in the face of fashion. The high fashion model, well regarded within fashion circles, but otherwise often nameless to the general public, has been replaced with a known face or a household name in the form of a celebrity. The extent to which fashion and celebrities have become intertwined becomes incredibly clear by simply considering the many examples of celebrity fashion lines: David Beckham for H&M, Kelly Brook for New Look, Cheryl Cole for Stylist Pick, Pixie Lott for Lipsy, and most recently the Kardashians for Dorothy Perkins. These examples hardly even touch the surface of an industry that has witnessed celebrity and fashion become dependent on each other. However, this surely begs the question: why are celebrity fashion lines becoming so ever-increasingly popular?

Psychology offers some scientific reasoning behind this question. According to the Hovland and Yale model of advertising, an advert is more likely to be successful in selling products if the person attempting to persuade the audience is an attractive celebrity. This model takes into account how the target audience have a desire to emulate and imitate celebrities in any way, meaning that an audience is likely to buy a product in the hope that it will make them like the celebrity promoting it. This view presents the fashion industry as operating in an ongoing cycle of exposure, attention, recall and PR coverage; all of which it achieves through the celebrity which it uses to front its brand. Yet surely such a view also suggests that the fashion industry, and celebrity fashion lines, are also opportunistic, and often exploitative?

dorothyperkins.com

The Mail Online writer, Liz Jones, surely seems to think so. Jones comments on the ‘cynical greed of celebrity fashion lines’, and how ‘the number of celebrity ranges has mushroomed alarmingly of late as High Street stores clamour desperately to lure customers into parting with their cash’. Although it would be silly to suggest that there is no element of greed in celebrity fashion lines (in particular, she refers to the newly released Kardashian Kollection for Dorothy Perkins) there is also something slightly reductionist in her article. Call me naïve, but I find it highly uncomfortable to think that I am simply a victim of consumerism, conditioned by adverts which tell me I “need” a certain item of clothing, and beckoned into a store because I’ve been hypnotised by the latest celebrity staring at me from an enormous billboard. What Jones fails to take into account is why there is such a big space in the market for celebrity fashion lines, a question which cannot simply be put down to the greed of tycoons like Sir Philip Green. Green evidently recognises how celebrities have become a cultural phenomena within fashion, in that they act as the middle man (or woman) between the customer and the enormous Empire that is the fashion industry.

Take the Kardashian Kollection; the sisters perhaps do not go to the lengths that ‘proper designers do’ as Jones criticises them for, but they have never claimed to be designers. What they and other celebrity fashion lines do offer is a degree of attainability. The Kardashian sisters are feminine, curvy, hardworking, savvy, and it goes without saying, glamorous and impeccably well-groomed. Their fashion line for Dorothy Perkins reflects how female fashion choices are becoming influenced by figures like Kim who, at 5’3 and with a famously large derrier, is slightly more ‘real’ than the 5’11 high fashion model, whose never ending limbs and perfectly airbrushed body is often unattainable for the vast majority of people.

 

lipsy.com

What we are seeing with celebrity ranges is a more representative face within the fashion industry. Consider a programme like The Only Way is Essex. The show is a prime example of how reality television stars are also becoming significant in influencing fashion. Many of the cast members such as Billie and Sam Faiers, Lydia Bright, Jess Wright and Amy Childs, have opened their own boutiques. Similarly, some have also brought out fashion lines because of the show, such as Amy Childs for Lipsy, and Lauren Goodger for New Look. Although the never ending list of merchandise (perfume, autobiographies, eyelash ranges) can sometimes become tedious, the Towie girls have made “Essex style” popular in its own right, and along with sequins and towering heels, have brought an affordable glamour to the High Street. Not every celebrity fashion line will appeal to every single person, in fact some are rather questionable, for example I wouldn’t rush to Lipsy to buy one of Amy Childs’ dresses, as our taste in fashion differs and her collaboration simply doesn’t compliment my own style.

However, celebrity fashion lines are a good thing. We need celebrities, whether they are actresses, singers, reality television stars, or presenters, who come from different walks of life (rather than just the path of the runway) to bring variation to the fashion industry. Aspiring to a certain look because of a certain celebrity encourages people to push boundaries and try something new. Yes, the face of fashion is changing- but that isn’t a bad thing.